The roles of jim lovell and uninflatable in different endopolyploid larval tissues of Drosophila melanogaster

PLoS One. 2020 Aug 21;15(8):e0237662. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237662. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The larvae of Drosophila melanogaster grow rapidly through use of a highly truncated cell cycle in which mitosis is entirely eliminated. The Drosophila homolog of the protooncogene transcription factor Myc plays a major role in promoting this endopolyploid (EP) growth. We have previously determined that the gene jim lovell (lov), which encodes a member of the BTB/POZ (Bric-a-brac, Tramtrack, Broad/Pox virus zinc finger) domain family of transcription factors, is also required for EP growth in one larval tissue, the trachea. Here we show that lov promotes EP growth in three further tissues indicating a fundamental role in this process. However, epistasis experiments revealed heterogeneity in lov's action in these tissues. Whereas in the tracheae and salivary glands lov acts downstream of Myc, in the fat body, reduced expression of lov does not impede the action of Myc, indicating an upstream action for the gene. We show here that lov's regulation of the gene uninflatable (uif) in the tracheae is a component of this difference. uif is required for tracheal EP growth downstream of Myc and lov but has no equivalent role in the fat body. Although Uif is a transmembrane component of the plasma membrane in the tracheae, its action downstream of Myc suggests an intracellular role for the protein in the tracheae. In addition to regulating uif expression in some tissues we also show that lov locates to the nucleolus, indicating it can function in both polymerase I and polymerase II transcriptional events. Our major finding is that tissue-specific mechanisms can interact with universal growth promotion by Myc to generate the individual endopolyploid organs of the larvae.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Drosophila Proteins / analysis
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / genetics
  • Drosophila melanogaster / growth & development
  • Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism*
  • Epistasis, Genetic
  • Larva / genetics
  • Larva / growth & development
  • Larva / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / analysis
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Polyploidy
  • Transcription Factors / analysis
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Lov protein, Drosophila
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Uif protein, Drosophila

Grants and funding

FZ received a Fellowship from Rice University for this work. The funders has no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.