The involvement of the Notch locus in Drosophila oogenesis

• DOI: 10.1242/dev.115.4.913
• Publication Date: 2021-04-26T01:07:53Z
• Authors: Tian Xu; Laurent A. Caron; Richard G. Fehon; Spyros Artavanis-...
• Keywords: Embryonic Induction; Male; 0301 basic medicine; Receptors, Notch; Ovary; Gene Expression; Membrane Proteins; Immunohistochemistry; 03 medical and health sciences; Oogenesis; Phenotype; Genes; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Insect Hormones; Testis; Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila; Female; Spermatogenesis

ABSTRACT The Notch gene in Drosophila encodes a transmembrane protein with homology to EGF that, in a variety of tissues, appears to mediate cell interactions necessary for cell fate choices. Here we demonstrate that oogenesis and spermatogenesis depend on Notch. We examine the phenotypes of the temperature-sensitive Notch allele, Nts1, and, using a monoclonal antibody, determine the cellular and subcellular distribution of Notch protein during oogenesis. We show that Nts1 is associated with a missense mutation in the extracellular, EGF homologous region of Notch and that at non-permissive temperatures oogenesis is blocked and the subcellular distribution of the protein is altered. In wild-type ovaries, Notch protein is found on the apical surface of somatically derived follicle cells, while in the germline-derived cells the protein is not polarized. These findings are discussed in view of the hypothesis that Notch acts as a multifunctional receptor to mediate developmentally important cell interactions.