Gain-of-function screen for genes that affect Drosophila muscle pattern formation

• Published in: PLoS genetics Vol. 1; no. 4; p. e55
• Main Authors: Staudt, Nicole, Molitor, Andreas, Somogyi, Kalman, Mata, Juan, Curado, Silvia, Eulenberg, Karsten, Meise, Martin, Siegmund, Thomas, Häder, Thomas, Hilfiker, Andres, Brönner, Günter, Ephrussi, Anne, Rørth, Pernille, Cohen, Stephen M, Fellert, Sonja, Chung, Ho-Ryun, Piepenburg, Olaf, Schäfer, Ulrich, Jäckle, Herbert, Vorbrüggen, Gerd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.10.2005; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animals; Body Patterning; Cell Cycle; Cell Movement; Cytoskeleton - metabolism; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Genes; Genes, Insect; Genetic Techniques; Genetics; Genomes; Heparan sulfate; Kinases; Library collections; Migration; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscles - cytology; Muscles - metabolism; Muscles - pathology; Ubiquitin - metabolism; United States > US
• ISSN: 1553-7404; 1553-7390; 1553-7404
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0010055

This article reports the production of an EP-element insertion library with more than 3,700 unique target sites within the Drosophila melanogaster genome and its use to systematically identify genes that affect embryonic muscle pattern formation. We designed a UAS/GAL4 system to drive GAL4-responsive expression of the EP-targeted genes in developing apodeme cells to which migrating myotubes finally attach and in an intrasegmental pattern of cells that serve myotubes as a migration substrate on their way towards the apodemes. The results suggest that misexpression of more than 1.5% of the Drosophila genes can interfere with proper myotube guidance and/or muscle attachment. In addition to factors already known to participate in these processes, we identified a number of enzymes that participate in the synthesis or modification of protein carbohydrate side chains and in Ubiquitin modifications and/or the Ubiquitin-dependent degradation of proteins, suggesting that these processes are relevant for muscle pattern formation.