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J. Cell Biol.,
Volume 144, Number 3, February 8, 1999 533-547
Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
Cadherins are involved in a variety of morphogenetic movements during animal development.
However, it has been difficult to pinpoint the precise
function of cadherins in morphogenetic processes due
to the multifunctional nature of cadherin requirement.
The data presented here indicate that homophilic adhesion promoted by Drosophila E-cadherin (DE-cadherin) mediates two cell migration events during
Drosophila oogenesis. In Drosophila follicles, two groups of follicle cells, the border cells and the centripetal cells migrate on the surface of germline cells. We
show that the border cells migrate as an epithelial patch
in which two centrally located cells retain epithelial polarity and peripheral cells are partially depolarized.
Both follicle cells and germline cells express DE-cadherin, and border cells and centripetal cells strongly upregulate the expression of DE-cadherin shortly before
and during their migration. Removing DE-cadherin
from either the follicle cells or the germline cells blocks
migration of border cells and centripetal cells on the
surface of germline cells. The function of DE-cadherin
in border cells appears to be specific for migration as
the formation of the border cell cluster and the adhesion between border cells are not disrupted in the absence of DE-cadherin. The speed of migration depends
on the level of DE-cadherin expression, as border cells
migrate more slowly when DE-cadherin activity is reduced. Finally, we show that the upregulation of DE-cadherin expression in border cells depends on the activity of the Drosophila C/EBP transcription factor that
is essential for border cell migration.
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