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Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system.

Wang, Huazhen ; Bertonnier-Brouty, Ludivine LU ; Artner, Isabella LU ; Wen, Jiayu and Dai, Qi (2025) In eLife 13. p.1-39
Abstract

Epithelial tissue fusion requires coordinated molecular events at the ends of two epithelial structures. Regulatory mechanisms controlling these events remain largely elusive. In the
Drosophila reproductive system (RS), this fusion unites the gonad and the genital disc-derived tissues, into a continuous tube. This study unveils the pivotal role of Hamlet (Ham), a
Drosophila PR domain containing transcription factor, in orchestrating epithelial tissue fusion in the RS. Loss of
ham leads to sterility and disconnection between the testes and seminal vesicles. Systematic analysis of Ham downstream genes reveals cytoskeletal, metabolic regulators and signaling pathway components. Ham activates genes for epithelial... (More)

Epithelial tissue fusion requires coordinated molecular events at the ends of two epithelial structures. Regulatory mechanisms controlling these events remain largely elusive. In the
Drosophila reproductive system (RS), this fusion unites the gonad and the genital disc-derived tissues, into a continuous tube. This study unveils the pivotal role of Hamlet (Ham), a
Drosophila PR domain containing transcription factor, in orchestrating epithelial tissue fusion in the RS. Loss of
ham leads to sterility and disconnection between the testes and seminal vesicles. Systematic analysis of Ham downstream genes reveals cytoskeletal, metabolic regulators and signaling pathway components. Ham activates genes for epithelial differentiation and remodeling, while repressing genes required for tissue growth and patterning. Using multiplexed in situ hybridization, we demonstrate spatial-temporal gene expression dynamics in contacting epithelia. Key Ham downstream effectors include E-Cadherin (E-Cad), Toll (Tl), and Wnt2 signaling pathways, regulating tissue interaction and fusion. Our findings present a comprehensive gene network crucial for heterotypic epithelial tissue fusion. Mammalian Ham orthologs PRDM3 and PRDM16 are highly expressed in epithelial tissues, suggesting a conserved role across species.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Animals, Drosophila Proteins/metabolism, Transcription Factors/metabolism, Epithelium/metabolism, Drosophila melanogaster/genetics, Male, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Female, Signal Transduction
in
eLife
volume
13
article number
RP104164
pages
1 - 39
publisher
eLife Sciences Publications
external identifiers
  • pmid:40613556
ISSN
2050-084X
DOI
10.7554/eLife.104164
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2024, Wang et al.
id
b0144874-b38b-47ce-b125-f376ac9b1269
date added to LUP
2025-11-27 14:26:24
date last changed
2025-11-27 14:52:08
@article{b0144874-b38b-47ce-b125-f376ac9b1269,
  abstract     = {{<p>Epithelial tissue fusion requires coordinated molecular events at the ends of two epithelial structures. Regulatory mechanisms controlling these events remain largely elusive. In the <br>
 Drosophila reproductive system (RS), this fusion unites the gonad and the genital disc-derived tissues, into a continuous tube. This study unveils the pivotal role of Hamlet (Ham), a <br>
 Drosophila PR domain containing transcription factor, in orchestrating epithelial tissue fusion in the RS. Loss of <br>
 ham leads to sterility and disconnection between the testes and seminal vesicles. Systematic analysis of Ham downstream genes reveals cytoskeletal, metabolic regulators and signaling pathway components. Ham activates genes for epithelial differentiation and remodeling, while repressing genes required for tissue growth and patterning. Using multiplexed in situ hybridization, we demonstrate spatial-temporal gene expression dynamics in contacting epithelia. Key Ham downstream effectors include E-Cadherin (E-Cad), Toll (Tl), and Wnt2 signaling pathways, regulating tissue interaction and fusion. Our findings present a comprehensive gene network crucial for heterotypic epithelial tissue fusion. Mammalian Ham orthologs PRDM3 and PRDM16 are highly expressed in epithelial tissues, suggesting a conserved role across species.<br>
 </p>}},
  author       = {{Wang, Huazhen and Bertonnier-Brouty, Ludivine and Artner, Isabella and Wen, Jiayu and Dai, Qi}},
  issn         = {{2050-084X}},
  keywords     = {{Animals; Drosophila Proteins/metabolism; Transcription Factors/metabolism; Epithelium/metabolism; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics; Male; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Female; Signal Transduction}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  pages        = {{1--39}},
  publisher    = {{eLife Sciences Publications}},
  series       = {{eLife}},
  title        = {{Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.104164}},
  doi          = {{10.7554/eLife.104164}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}