Abstract
Cell differentiation in developing tissues is controlled by a small set of signaling pathways, which must coordinate the timing and levels of activation to ensure robust and precise outcomes. Highly coordinated activation of signaling pathways can result from cross-regulatory interactions in multi-pathway networks. Here we explore the dynamics and function of pathway coordination between the EGFR and DPP pathways during Drosophila wing-vein differentiation. We show that simultaneous activation of both the EGFR and DPP pathways must be maintained for vein cell differentiation and that above-threshold ectopic activation of either pathway is sufficient to drive vein cell differentiation outside the proveins. The joint activation of the EGFR and DPP signaling systems is ensured by a positive feedback loop, in which the two pathways stimulate each other at the level of ligand production.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 278 |
Journal | Molecular Systems Biology |
Volume | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 20 2009 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Information Systems
- Applied Mathematics
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)
- Computational Theory and Mathematics