Polycomb genes interact with the tumor suppressor genes hippo and warts in the maintenance of Drosophila sensory neuron dendrites
Abstract
Dendritic fields are important determinants of neuronal function. However, how neurons establish and then maintain their dendritic fields is not well understood. Here we show that Polycomb group (PcG) genes are required for maintenance of complete and nonoverlapping dendritic coverage of the larval body wall by Drosophila class IV dendrite arborization (da) neurons. In esc, Su(z)12, or Pc mutants, dendritic fields are established normally, but class IV neurons display a gradual loss of dendritic coverage, while axons remain normal in appearance, demonstrating that PcG genes are specifically required for dendrite maintenance. Both multiprotein Polycomb repressor complexes (PRCs) involved in transcriptional silencing are implicated in regulation of dendrite arborization in class IV da neurons, likely through regulation of homeobox (Hox) transcription factors. We further show genetic interactions and association between PcG proteins and the tumor suppressor kinase Warts (Wts), providing evidence for their cooperation in multiple developmental processes including dendrite maintenance.
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Footnotes
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↵1 Present address: Neural Morphology Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.
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↵2 Corresponding author.
↵2 E-MAIL ynjan{at}itsa.ucsf.edu; FAX (415) 476-5774.
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Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.
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Article is online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.1514507
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- Received November 20, 2006.
- Accepted February 26, 2007.
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Freely available online through the Genes & Development Open Access option.
- Copyright © 2007, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press