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Dual role of the fringe connection gene in both heparan sulphate and fringe-dependent signalling events

Nature Cell Biology volume 3, pages 809–815 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

The precise regulation of growth factor signalling is crucial to the molecular control of development in Drosophila. Post-translational modification of signalling molecules is one of the mechanisms that modulate developmental signalling specificity. We describe a new gene, fringe connection (frc), that encodes a nucleotide–sugar transporter that transfers UDP–glucuronic acid, UDP–N-acetylglucosamine and possibly UDP–xylose from the cytoplasm into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi. Embryos with the frc mutation display defects in Wingless, Hedgehog and fibroblast growth factor signalling. Clonal analysis shows that fringe-dependent Notch signalling is disrupted in frc mutant tissue.

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Figure 1: Segment polarity phenotypes of frc mutant embryos.
Figure 2: Lateral migration of the mesoderm in frc mutant embryos.
Figure 3: Molecular and biochemical characterization of the frc gene.
Figure 4: The frc gene is required for HSPG biosynthesis.
Figure 5: Frc function during imaginal disc development.
Figure 6: The frc gene enhances the Notch Abruptex phenotype.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Zeidler, B. Stronach and K. Brückner for comments on the manuscript, and C. Hirschberg, C. Abeijon, P. Berninsone, S. Cherry, K. Nybakken and I. The for helpful discussions. Special thanks to K. Irvine, S. Artananis-Tsakonas and J. de Celis for stocks, S. Baumgartner for the Dally-like antibody, H. Agaisse for help with the northern analysis, and C. Hartmann for performing the plasmid rescue experiments. N.P. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This work was supported by NIH Grant AI31078 (S.J.T. and S.M.B.) and GM61110 (N.P.), as well as HFSP (N.P.).

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  1. Udo Häcker

    Present address: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Lund University, 22184, Lund, Sweden

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Erica M. Selva, Gyeong-Hun Baeg, Norbert Perrimon & Udo Häcker

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, 40536, Kentucky, USA

    Kyoungja Hong & Salvatore J. Turco

  3. Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, Missouri, USA

    Stephen M. Beverley

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Correspondence to Norbert Perrimon.

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Selva, E., Hong, K., Baeg, GH. et al. Dual role of the fringe connection gene in both heparan sulphate and fringe-dependent signalling events. Nat Cell Biol 3, 809–815 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0901-809

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