Abstract
During the development of multicellular organisms, many events occur with precise timing. In Drosophila melanogaster, pupation occurs about 12 h after puparium formation and its timing is believed to be determined by the release of a steroid hormone, ecdysone (E), from the prothoracic gland. Here, we demonstrate that the ecdysone- 20-monooxygenase Shade determines pupation timing by converting E to 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in the fat body, which is the organ that senses nutritional status. The timing of shade expression is determined by its transcriptional activator βFtz-f1. The βftz-f1 gene is activated after a decline in the expression of its transcriptional repressor Blimp-1, which is temporally expressed around puparium formation in response to a high titer of 20E. The expression level and stability of Blimp-1 is critical for the precise timing of pupation. Thus, we propose that Blimp-1 molecules function like sand in an hourglass in this precise developmental timer system. Furthermore, our data suggest that a biological advantage results from both the use of a transcriptional repressor for time determination and the association of developmental timing with nutritional status of the organism.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2410-2416 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Development |
| Volume | 143 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 1 2016 |
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Keywords
- Biological timer
- Developmental timing
- Drosophila
- Ecdysone
- Metamorphosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Cite this
A biological timer in the fat body comprising blimp-1, βftz-f1 and shade regulates pupation timing in Drosophila melanogaster. / Akagi, Kazutaka; Sarhan, Moustafa; Sultan, Abdel Rahman S; Nishida, Haruka; Koie, Azusa; Nakayama, Takumi; Ueda, Hitoshi.
In: Development, Vol. 143, No. 13, 01.07.2016, p. 2410-2416.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - A biological timer in the fat body comprising blimp-1, βftz-f1 and shade regulates pupation timing in Drosophila melanogaster
AU - Akagi, Kazutaka
AU - Sarhan, Moustafa
AU - Sultan, Abdel Rahman S
AU - Nishida, Haruka
AU - Koie, Azusa
AU - Nakayama, Takumi
AU - Ueda, Hitoshi
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - During the development of multicellular organisms, many events occur with precise timing. In Drosophila melanogaster, pupation occurs about 12 h after puparium formation and its timing is believed to be determined by the release of a steroid hormone, ecdysone (E), from the prothoracic gland. Here, we demonstrate that the ecdysone- 20-monooxygenase Shade determines pupation timing by converting E to 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in the fat body, which is the organ that senses nutritional status. The timing of shade expression is determined by its transcriptional activator βFtz-f1. The βftz-f1 gene is activated after a decline in the expression of its transcriptional repressor Blimp-1, which is temporally expressed around puparium formation in response to a high titer of 20E. The expression level and stability of Blimp-1 is critical for the precise timing of pupation. Thus, we propose that Blimp-1 molecules function like sand in an hourglass in this precise developmental timer system. Furthermore, our data suggest that a biological advantage results from both the use of a transcriptional repressor for time determination and the association of developmental timing with nutritional status of the organism.
AB - During the development of multicellular organisms, many events occur with precise timing. In Drosophila melanogaster, pupation occurs about 12 h after puparium formation and its timing is believed to be determined by the release of a steroid hormone, ecdysone (E), from the prothoracic gland. Here, we demonstrate that the ecdysone- 20-monooxygenase Shade determines pupation timing by converting E to 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in the fat body, which is the organ that senses nutritional status. The timing of shade expression is determined by its transcriptional activator βFtz-f1. The βftz-f1 gene is activated after a decline in the expression of its transcriptional repressor Blimp-1, which is temporally expressed around puparium formation in response to a high titer of 20E. The expression level and stability of Blimp-1 is critical for the precise timing of pupation. Thus, we propose that Blimp-1 molecules function like sand in an hourglass in this precise developmental timer system. Furthermore, our data suggest that a biological advantage results from both the use of a transcriptional repressor for time determination and the association of developmental timing with nutritional status of the organism.
KW - Biological timer
KW - Developmental timing
KW - Drosophila
KW - Ecdysone
KW - Metamorphosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84977117589&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84977117589&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1242/dev.133595
DO - 10.1242/dev.133595
M3 - Article
VL - 143
SP - 2410
EP - 2416
JO - Development (Cambridge)
JF - Development (Cambridge)
SN - 0950-1991
IS - 13
ER -