Endocytosis by Numb breaks Notch symmetry at cytokinesis

Cell-fate diversity can be generated by the unequal segregation of the Notch regulator Numb at mitosis in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Whereas the mechanisms underlying unequal inheritance of Numb are understood, how Numb antagonizes Notch has remained unsolved. Live imaging of Notch in sensory organ precursor cells revealed that nuclear Notch is detected at cytokinesis in the daughter cell that does not inherit Numb. Numb and Sanpodo act together to regulate Notch trafficking and establish directional Notch signalling at cytokinesis. We propose that unequal segregation of Numb results in increased endocytosis in one daughter cell, hence asymmetry of Notch at the cytokinetic furrow, directional signalling and binary fate choice.

Mechanism and significance of cis-inhibition in Notch signalling

Notch receptors in a given cell are activated by cell surface ligands in neighbouring cells but can also be inhibited by the ligands present within the same cell. This process is known as cis-inhibition of Notch. Additionally, reciprocal cis-inhibition of the ligands by Notch has also been observed, albeit to a limited extent. Here, we review the mechanisms, functional relevance and potential implications of these cis-inhibitory interactions for Notch-mediated fate decisions.

Neuralized promotes basal to apical transcytosis of delta in epithelial cells

In this article, it is shown that a pool of Delta localizes at the basolateral membrane of sensory organ precursor cells of Drosophila and of polarized MDCK cells and that Delta is endocytosed in a Neuralized-dependent manner from this basolateral membrane to allow for relocalization to the apical domain where it can bind and activate Notch.

Notch receptors mediate short-range signaling controlling many developmental decisions in metazoans. Activation of Notch requires the ubiquitin-dependent endocytosis of its ligand Delta. How ligand endocytosis in signal-sending cells regulates receptor activation in juxtaposed signal-receiving cells remains largely unknown. We show here that a pool of Delta localizes at the basolateral membrane of signal-sending sensory organ precursor cells in the dorsal thorax neuroepithelium of Drosophila and that Delta is endocytosed in a Neuralized-dependent manner from this basolateral membrane. This basolateral pool of Delta is segregated from Notch that accumulates apically. Using a compartimentalized antibody uptake assay, we show that murine Delta-like 1 is similarly internalized by mNeuralized2 from the basolateral membrane of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and that internalized ligands are transcytosed to the apical plasma membrane where mNotch1 accumulates. Thus, endocytosis of Delta by Neuralized relocalizes Delta from the basolateral to the apical membrane domain. We speculate that this Neuralized-dependent transcytosis regulates the signaling activity of Delta by relocalizing Delta from a membrane domain where it cannot interact with Notch to another membrane domain where it can bind and activate Notch.

Notch ligand activity is modulated by glycosphingolipid membrane composition in Drosophila melanogaster

Endocytosis of the transmembrane ligands Delta (Dl) and Serrate (Ser) is required for the proper activation of Notch receptors. The E3 ubiquitin ligases Mindbomb1 (Mib1) and Neuralized (Neur) regulate the ubiquitination of Dl and Ser and thereby promote both ligand endocytosis and Notch receptor activation. In this study, we identify the alpha1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-1 (alpha4GT1) gene as a gain of function suppressor of Mib1 inhibition. Expression of alpha4GT1 suppressed the signaling and endocytosis defects of Dl and Ser resulting from the inhibition of mib1 and/or neur activity. Genetic and biochemical evidence indicate that alpha4GT1 plays a regulatory but nonessential function in Notch signaling via the synthesis of a specific glycosphingolipid (GSL), N5, produced by alpha4GT1. Furthermore, we show that the extracellular domain of Ser interacts with GSLs in vitro via a conserved GSL-binding motif, raising the possibility that direct GSL-protein interactions modulate the endocytosis of Notch ligands. Together, our data indicate that specific GSLs modulate the signaling activity of Notch ligands.

Transcriptional control of stem cell maintenance in the Drosophila intestine

Adult stem cells maintain tissue homeostasis by controlling the proper balance of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. The adult midgut of Drosophila contains multipotent intestinal stem cells (ISCs) that self-renew and produce differentiated progeny. Control of ISC identity and maintenance is poorly understood. Here we find that transcriptional repression of Notch target genes by a Hairless-Suppressor of Hairless complex is required for ISC maintenance, and identify genes of the Enhancer of split complex [E(spl)-C] as the major targets of this repression. In addition, we find that the bHLH transcription factor Daughterless is essential to maintain ISC identity and that bHLH binding sites promote ISC-specific enhancer activity. We propose that Daughterless-dependent bHLH activity is important for the ISC fate and that E(spl)-C factors inhibit this activity to promote differentiation.

Notch signalling: receptor cis-inhibition to achieve directionality

Lateral inhibition, by which single cells become distinct from their neighbours, can be mediated by Notch signalling during animal development. Signalling directionality is presumably achieved by downregulation of the Notch ligand in signal-receiving cells. New evidence suggests that cis-inhibition of the receptor in the ligand-sending cell might also provide directionality.

When you are Dishevelled, fat is good and acid is bad!

Frizzled receptors regulate cell fate decisions and planar cell polarity by means of distinct intracellular effectors. The choice between these two signalling outputs may involve a pH-dependent interaction between Dishevelled and negatively charged lipids at the plasma membrane.

Van Gogh and Frizzled act redundantly in the Drosophila sensory organ precursor cell to orient its asymmetric division

Drosophila sensory organ precursor cells (SOPs) divide asymmetrically along the anterior-posterior (a-p) body axis to generate two different daughter cells. Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) regulates the a-p orientation of the SOP division. The localization of the PCP proteins Van Gogh (Vang) and Frizzled (Fz) define anterior and posterior apical membrane domains prior to SOP division. Here, we investigate the relative contributions of Vang, Fz and Dishevelled (Dsh), a membrane-associated protein acting downstream of Fz, in orienting SOP polarity. Genetic and live imaging analyses suggest that Dsh restricts the localization of a centrosome-attracting activity to the anterior cortex and that Vang is a target of Dsh in this process. Using a clone border assay, we provide evidence that the Vang and fz genes act redundantly in SOPs to orient its polarity axis in response to extrinsic local PCP cues. Additionally, we find that the activity of Vang is dispensable for the non-autonomous polarizing activity of fz. These observations indicate that both Vang and Fz act as cues for downstream effectors orienting the planar polarity axis of dividing SOPs.

aPKC-mediated phosphorylation regulates asymmetric membrane localization of the cell fate determinant Numb

In Drosophila, the partition defective (Par) complex containing Par3, Par6 and atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) directs the polarized distribution and unequal segregation of the cell fate determinant Numb during asymmetric cell divisions. Unequal segregation of mammalian Numb has also been observed, but the factors involved are unknown. Here, we identify in vivo phosphorylation sites of mammalian Numb and show that both mammalian and Drosophila Numb interact with, and are substrates for aPKC in vitro. A form of mammalian Numb lacking two protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation sites (Numb2A) accumulates at the cell membrane and is refractory to PKC activation. In epithelial cells, mammalian Numb localizes to the basolateral membrane and is excluded from the apical domain, which accumulates aPKC. In contrast, Numb2A is distributed uniformly around the cell cortex. Mutational analysis of conserved aPKC phosphorylation sites in Drosophila Numb suggests that phosphorylation contributes to asymmetric localization of Numb, opposite to aPKC in dividing sensory organ precursor cells. These results suggest a model in which phosphorylation of Numb by aPKC regulates its polarized distribution in epithelial cells as well as during asymmetric cell divisions.

Bearded family members inhibit Neuralized-mediated endocytosis and signaling activity of Delta in Drosophila

Endocytosis of Notch receptor ligands in signaling cells is essential for Notch receptor activation. In Drosophila, the E3 ubiquitin ligase Neuralized (Neur) promotes the endocytosis and signaling activity of the ligand Delta (Dl). In this study, we identify proteins of the Bearded (Brd) family as interactors of Neur. We show that Tom, a prototypic Brd family member, inhibits Neur-dependent Notch signaling. Overexpression of Tom inhibits the endocytosis of Dl and interferes with the interaction of Dl with Neur. Deletion of the Brd gene complex results in ectopic endocytosis of Dl in dorsal cells of stage 5 embryos. This defect in Dl trafficking is associated with ectopic expression of the single-minded gene, a direct Notch target gene that specifies the mesectoderm. We propose that inhibition of Neur by Brd proteins is important for precise spatial regulation of Dl signaling.

Drosophila Ric-8 regulates Galphai cortical localization to promote Galphai-dependent planar orientation of the mitotic spindle during asymmetric cell division

Localization and activation of heterotrimeric G proteins have a crucial role during asymmetric cell division. The asymmetric division of the Drosophila sensory precursor cell (pl) is polarized along the antero-posterior axis by Frizzled signalling and, during this division, activation of Galphai depends on Partner of Inscuteable (Pins). We establish here that Ric-8, which belongs to a family of guanine nucleotide-exchange factors for Galphai, regulates cortical localization of the subunits Galphai and Gbeta13F. Ric-8, Galphai and Pins are not necessary for the control of the anteroposterior orientation of the mitotic spindle during pl cell division downstream of Frizzled signalling, but they are required for maintainance of the spindle within the plane of the epithelium. On the contrary, Frizzled signalling orients the spindle along the antero-posterior axis but also tilts it along the apico-basal axis. Thus, Frizzled and heterotrimeric G-protein signalling act in opposition to ensure that the spindle aligns both in the plane of the epithelium and along the tissue polarity axis.

Temporal regulation of planar cell polarity: insights from the Drosophila eye

In this issue of Cell, identify a first regulatory link between planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling and apical-basal polarity. The authors propose that a component of the apical Crumbs complex regulates the phosphorylation of the Frizzled (Fz) PCP receptor, thus modulating PCP in the Drosophila eye.

Lethal Giant Larvae Controls the Localization of Notch-Signaling Regulators Numb, Neuralized, and Sanpodo in Drosophila Sensory-Organ Precursor Cells

Asymmetric distribution of fate determinants is a fundamental mechanism underlying the acquisition of distinct cell fates during asymmetric division. In Drosophila neuroblasts, the apical DmPar6/DaPKC complex inhibits Lethal giant larvae (Lgl) to promote the basal localization of fate determinants. In contrast, in the sensory precursor (pI) cells that divide asymmetrically with a planar polarity, Lgl inhibits Notch signaling in the anterior pI daughter cell, pIIb, by a yet-unknown mechanism. We show here that Lgl promotes the cortical recruitment of Partner of Numb (Pon) and regulates the asymmetric distribution of the fate determinants Numb and Neuralized during the pI cell division. Analysis of Pon-GFP and Histone2B-mRFP distribution in two-color movies confirmed that Lgl regulates Pon localization. Moreover, posterior DaPKC restricts Lgl function to the anterior cortex at mitosis. Thus, Lgl functions similarly in neuroblasts and in pI cells. We also show that Lgl promotes the acquisition of the pIIb cell fate by inhibiting the plasma membrane localization of Sanpodo and thereby preventing the activation of Notch signaling in the anterior pI daughter cell. Thus, Lgl regulates cell fate by controlling Pon cortical localization, asymmetric localization of Numb and Neuralized, and plasma-membrane localization of Sandopo.

The roles of receptor and ligand endocytosis in regulating Notch signaling

Cell-cell signaling is a central process in the formation of multicellular organisms. Notch (N) is the receptor of a conserved signaling pathway that regulates numerous developmental decisions, and the misregulation of N has been linked to various physiological and developmental disorders. The endocytosis of N and its ligands is a key mechanism by which N-mediated cell-cell signaling is developmentally regulated. We review here the recent findings that have highlighted the importance and complexity of this regulation.

Two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases have complementary functions in the regulation of delta and serrate signaling in Drosophila

Signaling by the Notch ligands Delta (Dl) and Serrate (Ser) regulates a wide variety of essential cell-fate decisions during animal development. Two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases, Neuralized (Neur) and Mind bomb (Mib), have been shown to regulate Dl signaling in Drosophila melanogaster and Danio rerio, respectively. While the neur and mib genes are evolutionarily conserved, their respective roles in the context of a single organism have not yet been examined. We show here that the Drosophila mind bomb (D-mib) gene regulates a subset of Notch signaling events, including wing margin specification, leg segmentation, and vein determination, that are distinct from those events requiring neur activity. D-mib also modulates lateral inhibition, a neur- and Dl-dependent signaling event, suggesting that D-mib regulates Dl signaling. During wing development, expression of D-mib in dorsal cells appears to be necessary and sufficient for wing margin specification, indicating that D-mib also regulates Ser signaling. Moreover, the activity of the D-mib gene is required for the endocytosis of Ser in wing imaginal disc cells. Finally, ectopic expression of neur in D-mib mutant larvae rescues the wing D-mib phenotype, indicating that Neur can compensate for the lack of D-mib activity. We conclude that D-mib and Neur are two structurally distinct proteins that have similar molecular activities but distinct developmental functions in Drosophila.

The Notch pathway is an important mechanism for communication between cells. In this paper, the roles of two related proteins in the Notch pathway are unravelled

Evolution of the larval peripheral nervous system in Drosophila species has involved a change in sensory cell lineage

A key challenge in evolutionary biology is to identify developmental events responsible for morphological changes. To determine the cellular basis that underlies changes in the larval peripheral nervous system (PNS) of flies, we first described the PNS pattern of the abdominal segments A1-A7 in late embryos of several fly species using antibody staining. In contrast to the many variations reported previously for the adult PNS pattern, we found that the larval PNS pattern has remained very stable during evolution. Indeed, our observation that most of the analysed Drosophilinae species exhibit exactly the same pattern as Drosophila melanogaster reveals that the pattern observed in D. melanogaster embryos has remained constant for at least 40 million years. Furthermore, we observed that the PNS pattern in more distantly related flies (Calliphoridae and Phoridae) is only slightly different from the one in D. melanogaster. A single difference relative to D. melanogaster was identified in the PNS pattern of the Drosophilinae fly D. busckii, the absence of a specific external sensory organ. Our analysis of sensory organ development in D. busckii suggests that this specific loss resulted from a transformation in cell lineage, from a multidendritic-neuron-external-sensory-organ lineage to a multidendritic-neuron-solo lineage.

Formation and remodeling of epithelial polarity

Polarity is a fundamental property of all eukaryotic cells that underlies many developmental processes. A recent EMBO workshop (March 27-31) organized by Thomas Lecuit, Norbert Perrimon, and Keith Mostov brought cell and developmental biologists together on the Mediterranean coast near Marseille, France, to share views on how epithelium polarity is established and remodeled during development and disease. Participants witnessed and celebrated the emerging convergence of intellectual and experimental approaches to address how individual cells acquire polarity and form polarized tissues in the context of developing embryos.

Slit-Robo signalling prevents sensory cells from crossing the midline in Drosophila

Maintenance of bilateral symmetry throughout animal development requires that both left and right halves of the body follow nearly identical patterns of cell proliferation, differentiation, death and migration. During formation of the perfectly bilateral Drosophila larval peripheral nervous system (PNS), the sensory precursor cells of the ventral multidendritic neuron vmd1a originating from each hemisegment migrate away from the ventral midline. Our observations indicate that in slit mutant embryos, as well as in robo, robo2 double mutants, sensory precursor cells of the left and right vmd1a neurons aberrantly cluster at the midline and then the pair of vmd1a neurons migrate to their final position on the same side of the embryo. This results in disruption of PNS bilateral symmetry. Expression of slit at the midline rescues the slit mutant vmd1a phenotype, suggesting that midline-secreted Slit activates Robo/Robo2 signalling to control the migration of the vmd1a sensory precursor cells. Our study indicates that midline-secreted Slit prevents vmd1a sensory cells from crossing the midline and thereby maintains PNS bilateral symmetry during development.

Asymmetric localization and function of cell-fate determinants: a fly's view

One mechanism to generate daughter cells with distinct fates is the asymmetric inheritance of regulatory proteins, leading to differential gene regulation in the daughter cells. This mode of cell division is termed 'asymmetric cell division.' The nervous system of the fly employs asymmetric cell division, both in the central nervous system, to generate neural precursors, neurons and glial cells; and in the peripheral nervous system, to create sensory organs that are composed of multiple cell types. These cell lineages are excellent models to examine the gene expression program that leads to fate acquisition, the cell-fate determinants that control these programs and how these determinants, in turn, are distributed through cell polarity machinery.

Bases génétiques de la polarité planaire

Several epitheliums exhibit a clear polarity that lies within the plane of the epithelium. This polarity, referred to as planar polarity or tissue polarity, is oriented perpendicular to the apical-basal polarity of the epithelium. Over the last two decades, the genetic and molecular bases of planar polarity have been intensively investigated in Drosophila. Recent studies have shown that establishment of planar polarity relies on the unipolar distribution of a small number of signaling molecules localizing at the apical cortex. Unipolar localization of planar polarity proteins defines two opposite and complementary cortical domains. These domains show a stereotyped orientation at the tissue level. Positioning of these cortical domains is coordinated at the tissue level by a second class of signaling molecules that form an activity gradient across the epithelium. Together these data have led to a general model of planar polarity establishment. Considering that planar polarity genes have been conserved from flies to vertebrates, this model may be useful for our understanding of epithelium biology in mammals.

The planar cell polarity protein Strabismus promotes Pins anterior localization during asymmetric division of sensory organ precursor cells in Drosophila

Cell fate diversity is generated in part by the unequal segregation of cell-fate determinants during asymmetric cell division. In the Drosophila bristle lineage, the sensory organ precursor (pI) cell is polarized along the anteroposterior (AP) axis by Frizzled (Fz) receptor signaling. We show here that Fz localizes at the posterior apical cortex of the pI cell prior to mitosis, whereas Strabismus (Stbm) and Prickle (Pk), which are also required for AP polarization of the pI cell, co-localize at the anterior apical cortex. Thus, asymmetric localization of Fz, Stbm and Pk define two opposite cortical domains prior to mitosis of the pI cell. At mitosis, Stbm forms an anterior crescent that overlaps with the distribution of Partner of Inscuteable (Pins) and Discs-large (Dlg), two components of the anterior Dlg-Pins-Galphai complex that regulates the localization of cell-fate determinants. At prophase, Stbm promotes the anterior localization of Pins. By contrast, Dishevelled (Dsh) acts antagonistically to Stbm by excluding Pins from the posterior cortex. We propose that the Stbm-dependent recruitment of Pins at the anterior cortex of the pI cell is a novel read-out of planar cell polarity.