Jj. Loureiro et al., Activated armadillo/beta-catenin does not play a general role in cell migration and process extension in Drosophila, DEVELOP BIO, 235(1), 2001, pp. 33-44
Human beta -catenin and its fly homolog Armadillo are best known for their
roles in cadherin-based cell-cell adhesion and in transduction of Wingless/
Wnt signals. It has been hypothesized that beta -catenin may also regulate
cell migration and cell shape changes, possibly by regulating the microtubu
le cytoskeleton via interactions with APC. This hypothesis was based on exp
eriments in which a hyperstable mutant form of beta -catenin was expressed
in MDCK cells, where it altered their migratory properties and their abilit
y to send out long cellular processes. We tested the generality of this hyp
othesis in vivo in Drosophila. We utilized three model systems in which cel
l migration and/or process extension are known to play key roles during dev
elopment: the migration of the border cells during oogenesis, the extension
of axons in the nervous system, and the migration and cell process extensi
on of tracheal cells. In all cases, cells expressing activated Armadillo we
re able to migrate and extend cell processes essentially normally. The one
alteration from normal involved an apparent cell fate change in certain tra
cheal cells. These results suggest that only certain cells are affected by
activation of armadillo/beta -catenin, and that Armadillo/beta -catenin doe
s not play a general role in inhibiting cell migration or process extension
. (C) 2001 Academic Press.