No.2/April 9, 2003

Bazooka delivers a surprise

New information about cell motility in the fruit fly (Drosophila)

Many cells, in certain phases of development, leave their site of origin, migrate in a predetermined way within the organism and reattach themselves to new sites. These fundamental processes are of critical importance for both embryonic development and for functioning of mature tissues. If these very precisely regulated processes get out of control diseases can develop affecting the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as causing tumour formation. Therefore scientists also investigate just how tumour cells are able to migrate and form metastases.

The research group led by Dr. Salim Abdelilah-Seyfried of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch is investigating these questions by looking at the development of epithelial cells. These cells coat the outer and inner surfaces of the body. Epithelial cells have highly polarized membranes: one is outward-directed (apical) and the other inward-directed (basal). The different membrane regions each have a characteristic composition of lipids and proteins. The researchers examine the molecular mechanisms that regulate the formation of epithelial tissues as well as the formation of cellular polarity with the help of two model organisms: the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the zebrafish (Danio rerio).

In collaboration with researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Francisco (USA), they have investigated various types of cell motility, including cells that coat the egg cells of the fruit fly and undergo a predetermined programme of motility during normal development. The researchers have compared these forms of motility with another form of cell migration, the misdirected penetration of tumour cells into the ovaries of the fly. They have put their focus especially on the bazooka gene because this gene carries the blueprint for an important regulator of epithelial polarity and cellular cohesion. The researchers have now discovered that the bazooka gene clearly exhibits another function in addition to maintaining cell polarity. Tumour cells, which have lost the tumour suppressor-gene, discs large, require bazooka to be able to migrate. This came as a surprise to the researchers. On the other hand, bazooka does not appear to be needed for cell motility during normal development. The motility exhibited by discs large-tumour cells is somewhat similar to cancer cell metastasis. These findings have just been published in the renowned journal Development (Vol. 130, No.9, pp 1927-1935)*. The researchers now want to go on and look  at the cellular mechanisms underlying  bazooka function.

 

*Bazooka is a Permissive Factor for the Invasive Behavior of Discs large Tumor Cells in Drosophila Ovarian Follicular Epithelia

Salim Abdelilah-Seyfried*, Daniel N. Cox # , and Yuh Nung Jan #

* Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Robert-

Rössle Str. 10, D-13125 Berlin-Buch, Germany

# Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Departments of Physiology and

Biochemistry, University of California, 533 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco,

CA 94143-0725, USA

Short title: Bazooka in Discs large Tumor follicle cell invasion

Keywords: Bazooka, cell invasion, border cell migration, cell polarity, Discs large,

Drosophila, follicle cell, cell adhesion

*corresponding author: salim@mdc-berlin.de

 

Barbara Bachtler

Press and Public Affairs

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch

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