puckered, a gene involved in position-specific cell differentiation in the dorsal epidermis of the Drosophila larva

Abstract

The final pattern of the cuticle of the Drosophila larva depends on the position-specific behaviour of the epidermal cells during their differentiation. This behaviour is dictated, in part, by the relative position of the cells during embryogenesis which allows them to receive and integrate signals from their neighbours. The translation of this ‘positional information’ into pattern might depend on the activity of genes that are able to integrate the outcome of cell interactions and tranfer it to the genes responsible for cell differentiation. Mutations in the gene puckered cause spatially restricted defects during the differentiation of the larval epidermal cells. We present data that suggests puckered may be involved in linking positional information to cell differentiation.

Immune response to bacteria induces dissemination of Ras‐activated Drosophila hindgut cells

“…On the basis of the previous observations [16], we assessed the requirement and sufficiency of JNK pathway activation in MMP1 induction and hindgut cell dissemination. The JNK pathway reporter puckered-lacZ (pucZ) [17] was induced in a subset of hindgut cells at 4 days (pucZ þ cells/hindgut ¼ 6 ± 3.5 s.d.) and at 7 days (12±2.8 s.d.)…”

“…Fly strains. byn‐GAL4 (hindgut and salivary gland‐specific), UAS‐GFP and tubGAL80 ts [14] were recombined on the III chromosome and crossed with combinations of the following: UAS‐Ras1 V12 (II), UAS‐bskDN (X), UAS‐dsRed‐nls (II) and UAS‐hep (II) obtained from Bloomington Stock Center; UAS‐Imd , Imd 1 and dTak 1 /2 [21]; puc‐lacZ E69 [17]; UAS‐dTab2 RNAi and UAS‐dRel shRNA [26]; UAS‐dTak1 RNAi (II), UAS‐dDredd RNAi (II), UAS‐bsk RNAi (III), UAS‐Jun RNAi (II) and UAS‐Imd RNAi (II) obtained from the National Institute of genetics in Japan; UAS‐relD [27]. esg‐GAL4 (midgut progenitor‐, malpighian tubule‐ and salivary gland‐specific) was used for the midgut experiments [8].…”

C-Jun N-terminal Kinase Promotes Stress Granule Assembly and Neurodegeneration in C9orf72-mediated ALS and FTD

“…Thus, the level of Puc/JNK phosphate can be used to indicate Bsk/JNK activity. Indeed, a LacZ reporter under the control of the puc promoter (puc-LacZ) is widely used as a reporter of Bsk/JNK activity in flies (Martin-Blanco et al, 1998; Ring & Arias, 1993). Using this reporter, we show that the LacZ level is strongly upregulated in motor neurons expressing (G 4 C 2 ) 30 , compared to the control ( Fig.…”

Dissection of the Regulatory Elements of the Complex Expression Pattern of Puckered, a Dual-Specificity JNK Phosphatase

“…puc low-level expressivity, as well as the high instability of its transcripts, have prevented direct observation of its expression; with the exception of in situ detection at the epidermal leading edge in embryos during dorsal closure and in follicle cells [21,[23][24][25][26]. No antibody is available and the expression of puc in other tissues has been inferred by studying different enhancer trap P elements inserted in or around the gene.…”