Identification of Genes Controlling Malpighian Tubule and Other Epithelial Morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

Identification of Genes Controlling Malpighian Tubule and Other Epithelial Morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

Xuejun Liu^a, István Kiss^b, and Judith A. Lengyel^a
^a Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
^b Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6701, Szeged, Hungary

Corresponding author: Judith A. Lengyel, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606., jlengyel{at}ucla.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: T. SCHÜPBACH

The Drosophila Malpighian tubule is a model system for studyinggenetic mechanisms that control epithelial morphogenesis. Froma screen of 1800 second chromosome lethal lines, by observinguric acid deposits in unfixed inviable embryos, we identifiedfive previously described genes (barr, fas, flb, raw, and thr)and one novel gene, walrus (wal), that affect Malpighian tubulemorphogenesis. Phenotypic analysis of these mutant embryos allowsus to place these genes, along with other previously describedgenes, into a genetic pathway that controls Malpighian tubuledevelopment. Specifically, wal affects evagination of the Malpighiantubule buds, fas and thr affect bud extension, and barr, flb,raw, and thr affect tubule elongation. In addition, these geneswere found to have different effects on development of otherepithelial structures, such as foregut and hindgut morphogenesis.Finally, from the same screen, we identified a second novelgene, drumstick, that affects only foregut and hindgut morphogenesis.

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