Sachs, Lena, Chen, Yen-Ta, Drechsler, Axel, Lynch, Jeremy A., Panfilio, Kristen A., Lässig, Michael, Berg, Johannes and Roth, Siegfried (2015) Dynamic BMP signaling polarized by Toll patterns the dorsoventral axis in a hemimetabolous insect. eLife, 4 . e05502. doi:10.7554/eLife.05502 ISSN 2050-084X.

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Abstract

Toll-dependent patterning of the dorsoventral axis in Drosophila represents one of the best understood gene regulatory networks. However, its evolutionary origin has remained elusive. Outside the insects Toll is not known for a patterning function, but rather for a role in pathogen defense. Here, we show that in the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, whose lineage split from Drosophila's more than 350 million years ago, Toll is only required to polarize a dynamic BMP signaling network. A theoretical model reveals that this network has self-regulatory properties and that shallow Toll signaling gradients are sufficient to initiate axis formation. Such gradients can account for the experimentally observed twinning of insect embryos upon egg fragmentation and might have evolved from a state of uniform Toll activity associated with protecting insect eggs against pathogens.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Journal or Publication Title:	eLife
Publisher:	eLife Sciences Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	2050-084X
Official Date:	May 2015
Dates:	Date Event May 2015 Published
Volume:	4
Article Number:	e05502
DOI:	10.7554/eLife.05502
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)

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