View Program - 63rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference

The Drosophila wing is composed of longitudinal veins (L1-L6) and crossveins, the posterior crossvein (PCV) and anterior crossvein (ACV). AdamTS-B is one of three ADAMTS proteins expressed in Drosophila, specifically in the wing imaginal disc. It was previously shown that loss of AdamTS-B in the wing resulted in extra PCVs or deltas. Moreover, over-expression of this protease resulted in a complete absence of the PCV and distal end of the L5 longitudinal vein. The BMP pathway is known to play an essential role in wing vein formation, especially the PCV. The question we are asking is whether AdamTS-B functions through the BMP signaling pathway to inhibit wing vein formation. In order to explore this question, we are performing genetic interaction studies between AdamTS-B and components of the BMP signaling pathway to examine whether these two proteins function in the same signaling pathway or not. Using the GAL4/UAS system of over-expression, we are using a wing-specific GAL4 line (MS1096-GAL4) to over-express combinations of AdamTS-B and each of the following BMP signaling pathway components: dpp, gbb, and tkv. I predict that over-expression of these BMP pathway components may counteract the defects seen in AdamTS-B over-expression and result in a more “normal” wing vein pattern. The anticipated impact of this research will be more knowledge of how this important BMP signaling pathway is regulated. We will also learn more about potential functions of the AdamTS-B gene in other tissues as it is also expressed in the embryonic trachea.

The role of the extracellular protease AdamTS-B and BMP signaling in wing vein formation