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The novel gene apnoia regulates Drosophila tracheal tube size
Author(s) -
Scholl Aaron,
O'Brien Michael J.,
Chandran Rachana R.,
Jiang Lan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.29
Subject(s) - biology , microbiology and biotechnology , secretion , apical membrane , epithelial polarity , polarity (international relations) , tube (container) , mutant , transmembrane protein , cell polarity , anatomy , cilium , matrix (chemical analysis) , vesicle , basement membrane , gene , cell , epithelium , genetics , endocrinology , membrane , chemistry , mechanical engineering , receptor , engineering , chromatography
Background Distinct tube size is critical for the function of human tubular organs such as the lung, vascular system, and kidney. Aberrant tube sizes can lead to devastating human illnesses, including polycystic kidney disease. The Drosophila trachea provides a premier genetic system to investigate the fundamental mechanisms that regulate tube size. Results Here we describe the function of a novel gene, apnoia , in tube‐size regulation. apn encodes an apical membrane protein, Apnoia (Apn), with three helical transmembrane domains. Loss‐of‐function apn mutants show shorter‐tube and air‐filling defects in larval trachea, whereas there are no obvious defects in embryonic trachea. Conversely, overexpression of apn in trachea leads to significant tube over‐elongation. We analyzed apical luminal matrix and cell polarity in these longer tubes. It is interesting to note that we observed normal establishment of cell polarity, whereas all luminal matrix components are significantly reduced. In addition, we observed that some matrix components are localized in cytoplasmic vesicles, suggesting secretion defects in apn overexpressing trachea. Conclusion Taken together, these results strongly suggest the possibility that apn is directly or indirectly involved in vesicular trafficking to regulate tube size.