mummy encodes an UDP- N-acetylglucosamine-dipohosphorylase and is required during Drosophila dorsal closure and nervous system development

• Published in: Mechanisms of development 2006-06, Vol.123 (6), p.487-499
• Main Authors: Schimmelpfeng, Kristina, Strunk, Mareike, Stork, Tobias, Klämbt, Christian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Axon patterning; Axons - metabolism; Body Patterning; Dorsal closure; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism; Drosophila Proteins - metabolism; Eye - embryology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Glycosylation; Lectins - chemistry; Models, Genetic; Mutation; Nervous System - embryology; Nucleotidyltransferases - genetics; Nucleotidyltransferases - metabolism; Nucleotidyltransferases - physiology; Phosphorylation; UDP- N-acetylglucosamine-diphosphorylase
• ISSN: 0925-4773; 1872-6356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2006.03.004

Throughout development cell–cell interactions are of pivotal importance. Cells bind to each other or share information via secreted signaling molecules. To a large degree, these processes are modulated by post-translational modifications of membrane proteins. Glycan-chains are frequently added to membrane proteins and assist their exact function at the cell surface. In addition, the glycosylation pathway is required to generate GPI-linkage in the endoplasmatic reticulum. Here, we describe the analysis of the cabrio/ mummy gene, which encodes an UDP- N-acetylglucosamine diphosphorylase. This is a well-conserved and central enzyme in the glycosylation pathway. As expected from this central role in glycosylation, cabrio/ mummy mutants show many phenotypic traits ranging from CNS fasciculation defects to defects in dorsal closure and eye development. These phenotypes correlate well with specific glycosylation and GPI-anchorage defects in mummy mutants.