JCB logo
AbD Serotec: www.ab-direct.com/4for3
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
Published 11 October 2004. doi:10.1083/jcb.200406024
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $8.00
JCB, Volume 167, Number 1, 135-147
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow PDF (Full Text)
Right arrow PPT slides of all figures
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JCB
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Harris, T. J.C.
Right arrow Articles by Peifer, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Harris, T. J.C.
Right arrow Articles by Peifer, M.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Gene*GEO Profiles
*HomoloGene*UniGene
*Substance via MeSH
Related Collections
Right arrowRelated Article
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Article

 Adherens junction-dependent and -independent steps in the establishment of epithelial cell polarity in Drosophila

Tony J.C. Harris1 and Mark Peifer1,2

1 Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
2 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599

Correspondence to Mark Peifer: peifer{at}unc.edu

Adherens junctions (AJs) are thought to be key landmarks for establishing epithelial cell polarity, but the origin of epithelial polarity in Drosophila remains unclear. Thus, we examined epithelial polarity establishment during early Drosophila development. We found apical accumulation of both Drosophila E-Cadherin (DE-Cad) and the apical cue Bazooka (Baz) as cells first form. Mutant analyses revealed that apical Baz accumulations can be established in the absence of AJs, whereas assembly of apical DE-Cad complexes requires Baz. Thus, Baz acts upstream of AJs during epithelial polarity establishment. During gastrulation the absence of AJs results in widespread cell dissociation and depolarization. Some epithelial structures are retained, however. These structures maintain apical Baz, accumulate apical Crumbs, and organize polarized cytoskeletons, but display abnormal cell morphology and fail to segregate the basolateral cue Discs large from the apical domain. Thus, although epithelial polarity develops in the absence of AJs, AJs play specific roles in maintaining epithelial architecture and segregating basolateral cues.

Abbreviations used in this paper: AJ, adherens junction; {alpha}-cat, {alpha}-catenin; Arm, Armadillo; Baz, Bazooka; Crb, Crumbs; DE-Cad, Drosophila E-Cadherin; Dlg, Discs large; Mir, Miranda; MT, microtubule; m/z, maternal/zygotic; PMGI, posterior midgut invagination; shg, shotgun; Twi, Twist; WT, wild-type.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Related Article

Polarity precedes adhesion
Nicole LeBrasseur
J. Cell Biol. 2004 167: 13. [Full Text] [PDF]



This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents