The Spatiotemporal Limits of Developmental Erk Signaling.

TitleThe Spatiotemporal Limits of Developmental Erk Signaling.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsJohnson, HE, Goyal, Y, Pannucci, NL, Schüpbach, T, Shvartsman, SY, Toettcher, JE
JournalDev Cell
Volume40
Issue2
Pagination185-192
Date Published2017 Jan 23
ISSN1878-1551
KeywordsAnimals, Drosophila melanogaster, Embryonic Development, Enzyme Activation, Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Light, MAP Kinase Signaling System, Optogenetics, ras Proteins, Time Factors, Transcription, Genetic
Abstract

<p>Animal development is characterized by signaling events that occur at precise locations and times within the embryo, but determining when and where such precision is needed for proper embryogenesis has been a long-standing challenge. Here we address this question for extracellular signal regulated kinase (Erk) signaling, a key developmental patterning cue. We describe an optogenetic system for activating Erk with high spatiotemporal precision in vivo. Implementing this system in Drosophila, we find that embryogenesis is remarkably robust to ectopic Erk signaling, except from 1 to 4 hr post-fertilization, when perturbing the spatial extent of Erk pathway activation leads to dramatic disruptions of patterning and morphogenesis. Later in development, the effects of ectopic signaling are buffered, at least in part, by combinatorial mechanisms. Our approach can be used to systematically probe the differential contributions of the Ras/Erk pathway and concurrent signals, leading to a more quantitative understanding of developmental signaling.</p>

DOI10.1016/j.devcel.2016.12.002
Alternate JournalDev Cell
PubMed ID28118601
PubMed Central IDPMC5289754
Grant ListDP2 EB024247 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States
F32 GM119297 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 GM077620 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 GM086537 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States