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J. Cell Biol.,
Volume 145, Number 1, April 5, 1999 191-201
Chain Required for Cell
Adhesion and Migration during Embryonic and Imaginal Development
* Friedrich Miescher-Institut, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland; § Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Lund University,
S-22100 Lund, Sweden; and We report the molecular and functional characterization of a new Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627
chain of laminin in Drosophila.
The new laminin chain appears to be the Drosophila
counterpart of both vertebrate 2 (also called merosin)
and 1 chains, with a slightly higher degree of homology to 2, suggesting that this chain is an ancestral version of both 1 and 2 chains. During embryogenesis,
the protein is associated with basement membranes of
the digestive system and muscle attachment sites, and
during larval stage it is found in a specific pattern in
wing and eye discs. The gene is assigned to a locus
called wing blister (wb), which is essential for embryonic viability. Embryonic phenotypes include twisted
germbands and fewer pericardial cells, resulting in gaps
in the presumptive heart and tracheal trunks, and myotubes detached from their target muscle attachment sites. Most phenotypes are in common with those observed in Drosophila laminin 3, 5 mutant embryos and
many are in common with those observed in integrin
mutations. Adult phenotypes show blisters in the wings
in viable allelic combinations, similar to phenotypes observed in integrin genes. Mutation analysis in the eye
demonstrates a function in rhabdomere organization.
In summary, this new laminin chain is essential for
embryonic viability and is involved in processes requiring cell migration and cell adhesion.
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