Constructing an organ: the Drosophila salivary gland as a model for tube formation

Tubes are required in metazoans to transport the liquids and gases that sustain life. The conservation of molecules and mechanisms involved in tube formation suggests that what we learn by studying simple systems will apply to related processes in higher animals. Studies over the past 10 years have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in cell biology 2003-05, Vol.13 (5), p.247-254
Main Authors: Abrams, Elliott W., Vining, Melissa S., Andrew, Deborah J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
Body Patterning
Cell Lineage
Cell Movement
DNA-Binding Proteins - physiology
Drosophila - physiology
Drosophila Proteins - physiology
Epithelium - embryology
Epithelium - physiology
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Insect Proteins - physiology
Integrins - metabolism
Microfilament Proteins
Models, Biological
Mutation
Repressor Proteins - physiology
Salivary Glands - embryology
Salivary Glands - physiology
Signal Transduction
Time Factors
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Summary:Tubes are required in metazoans to transport the liquids and gases that sustain life. The conservation of molecules and mechanisms involved in tube formation suggests that what we learn by studying simple systems will apply to related processes in higher animals. Studies over the past 10 years have revealed the molecules that specify cell fate in Drosophila salivary gland and the cellular events that mediate tube morphogenesis. Here, we discuss how anterior–posterior and dorsal–ventral patterning information specifies both the position of salivary-gland primordia and how many cells they contain. We examine the transformation of a polarized epithelial sheet into an elongated, unbranched tube, and the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the final position of the salivary gland.
ISSN:0962-8924
1879-3088
DOI:10.1016/S0962-8924(03)00055-2