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Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Center for Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
The Drosophila myoblast city (mbc) locus
was previously identified on the basis of a defect in myoblast fusion (. Development [Camb.].
121:1979-1988). We describe herein the isolation and
characterization of the mbc gene. The mbc transcript and its encoded protein are expressed in a broad range
of tissues, including somatic myoblasts, cardial cells,
and visceral mesoderm. It is also expressed in the pole
cells and in ectodermally derived tissues, including the
epidermis. Consistent with this latter expression, mbc
mutant embryos exhibit defects in dorsal closure and
cytoskeletal organization in the migrating epidermis.
Both the mesodermal and ectodermal defects are reminiscent of those induced by altered forms of Drac1 and
suggest that mbc may function in the same pathway.
MBC bears striking homology to human DOCK180, which interacts with the SH2-SH3 adapter protein Crk
and may play a role in signal transduction from focal
adhesions. Taken together, these results suggest the
possibility that MBC is an intermediate in a signal
transduction pathway from the rho/rac family of GTPases to events in the cytoskeleton and that this pathway
may be used during myoblast fusion and dorsal closure.
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