Galasso, A. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2020

A toolkit to generate inducible and interconvertible Drosophila transgenes

The existence of three independent binary systems for conditional gene expression (Gal4/UAS; LexA/LexAop; QF/QUAST) has greatly expanded versatile genetic analyses in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster; however, the experimental application of these tools is limited by the need to generate multiple collections of non-interchangeable transgenic fly strains for each inducible gene expression system. To address this practical limitation, we developed a modular vector that contains the regulatory elements from all three binary systems, enabling Gal4-, LexA- or QF-dependent expression of transgenes. Our methods also incorporate DNA elements that facilitate independent site-specific recombination and elimination of regulatory UAS, LexAop or QUAST modules with spatial and temporal control, thus offering unprecedented possibilities and logistical advantages for in vivo genetic modulation and efficient interconversion of overexpression transgenic fly lines.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2019

Caspase-dependent activation of Hedgehog-signalling sustains proliferation and differentiation of ovarian somatic stem cells.

There is increasing evidence associating the activity of caspases with the regulation of basic cellular functions beyond apoptosis. Accordingly, the dysregulation of these novel non-apoptotic functions often sits at the origin of neurological disorders, metabolic defects, autoimmunity, and cancer. However, the molecular interplay between caspases and the signalling networks active in non-apoptotic cellular scenarios remains largely unknown. Our work show that non-apoptotic caspase activation is critical to modulate Hedgehog-signalling and autophagy in ovarian somatic cells from both Drosophila and humans under moderate stress. We also demonstrate that these novel caspase functions are key to sustain stem cell proliferation and differentiation without inducing apoptosis. Finally, we molecularly link these caspase-dependent effects to the fine-tuning of the Hedgehog-receptor, Patched. Together, these findings confer a pro-survival role to the caspases, as opposed to the widely held apoptotic function assigned to these enzymes.

developmental biology↗