Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system
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 contin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2025-07-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/104164 |
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| author | Huazhen Wang Ludivine Bertonnier-Brouty Isabella Artner Jiayu Wen Qi Dai |
| author_facet | Huazhen Wang Ludivine Bertonnier-Brouty Isabella Artner Jiayu Wen Qi Dai |
| author_sort | Huazhen Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-811fdb4e951142bea9d6edb8944f50cc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
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| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj-art-811fdb4e951142bea9d6edb8944f50cc2025-08-20T03:31:30ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-07-011310.7554/eLife.104164Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive systemHuazhen Wang0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4875-1829Ludivine Bertonnier-Brouty1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1294-3244Isabella Artner2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2895-5664Jiayu Wen3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1249-6456Qi Dai4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2082-0693Department of Molecular Bioscience, the Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenLund University, Lund, Sweden; Lund University Diabetes Center, Lund University, Malmö, SwedenLund University, Lund, Sweden; Lund University Diabetes Center, Lund University, Malmö, SwedenDivision of Genome Sciences and Cancer, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems, Canberra, AustraliaDepartment of Molecular Bioscience, the Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenEpithelial 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.https://elifesciences.org/articles/104164hamletPRDM factorsthe reproductive systemepithelial tissue fusiongene network |
| spellingShingle | Huazhen Wang Ludivine Bertonnier-Brouty Isabella Artner Jiayu Wen Qi Dai Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system eLife hamlet PRDM factors the reproductive system epithelial tissue fusion gene network |
| title | Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system |
| title_full | Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system |
| title_fullStr | Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system |
| title_short | Drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system |
| title_sort | drosophila hamlet mediates epithelial tissue assembly of the reproductive system |
| topic | hamlet PRDM factors the reproductive system epithelial tissue fusion gene network |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/104164 |
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