Drosophila Yurt is a new protein-4.1-like protein required for epithelial morphogenesis

Dev Genes Evol. 2002 Jun;212(5):230-8. doi: 10.1007/s00427-002-0231-6. Epub 2002 Apr 17.

Abstract

Proteins of the 4.1 family play a key role in the integrity of the cytoskeleton and in epithelial tissue movement, as shown by the disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in human erythrocytes caused by genetic loss of protein 4.1, and the failure of epithelial tissue migration during Drosophila embryogenesis caused by genetic loss of the 4.1 homolog Coracle. Here we report the genetic characterization of Yurt, a novel protein 4.1 family member in Drosophila that is associated with the plasma membrane of epithelial cells. Homozygous loss-of-function mutations in the yurt gene cause failure of germ-band retraction, dorsal closure, and head involution, associated with degeneration of the amnioserosa and followed by embryonic lethality. A mammalian homolog of Yurt is up-regulated in metastatic melanoma cells. These novel cytoskeletal proteins appear to play important roles in epithelial cell movements and in the morphogenetic tissue changes that depend on them.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Drosophila / embryology
  • Drosophila / genetics*
  • Drosophila / metabolism
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics*
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Epithelium / embryology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins
  • yrt protein, Drosophila