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First published online July 21, 2003
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/dev.00594


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Smoothened translates Hedgehog levels into distinct responses

Joan E. Hooper

Department of Cell and Structural Biology and Program in Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA e-mail: joan.hooper{at}uchsc.edu



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Fig. 6. Smo transgenes act cell autonomously to affect Hh responses. UasSmohigh (A), UasSSF (B) and UasSmoC (C) were clonally expressed using the FLP-out Gal4 system and marked by UasGFP (green in all panels). Ptc protein (red in A and B) is normally expressed at high levels just anterior to the compartment border (arrow indicates the border). Overexpression of Smo (green in A') induced high levels of Ptc protein, both near the compartment border and near the anterior edge of the disc. Levels of Ptc protein (red) were reduced when cells along the compartment border expressed SSF (green in B', outlined in white in B). While the levels of Ptc in wild type cells are somewhat variable on a cell-by-cell basis, Ptc levels were distinctly reduced in cells expressing SSF, even in the small clones at the bottom of B, demonstrating a cell-autonomous response to SSF. Ci155 (red in C) accumulated in clones away from the compartment border that expressed SmoC (asterisk in C), as well as in its normal domain paralleling the compartment border.

 


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Fig. 8. SmoC requires endogenous Smo to activate signaling. Clones of wing cells lacking endogenous smo activity were generated using the FLP;FRT system and marked by loss of GFP. Iro (red) was lost in the L3 region (arrows) when smo was removed (A). Expression of UasSmoC/+ under control of hemizygous MS1096 (e.g. 2x SmoC) did not rescue Iro expression in clones of cells lacking endogenous smo (arrows in B). Adult brothers of the larvae used in B had significant ectopic venation, demonstrating that the expression level of SmoC was sufficient for significant activity in the presence of endogenous Smo.

 


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Fig. 3. Deletion and chimeric forms of Smoothened. Green indicates Smo sequences, pink indicates Fz sequences. The chimeric and deleted forms are schematized as blocks representing extracellular CRD (leftmost), TM (center) and cytoplasmic tails (right). The transmembrane domain and myristoylate that should anchor SmoN and SmoC to membranes are indicated with zig-zags. Expression scored levels (+ versus ++) relative to endogenous Fz and/or Smo by immunofluorescence in embryos where transgene expression was driven by ptcGal4. All constructs except SmoC (indicated by asterisk) showed ratios of cell surface and internal localization similar to those of Smo and Fz at physiological levels; SmoC alone failed to outline cells. Signaling scored the ability of the transgenes to change L3/4 spacing (high) or to change L3 and A/P growth (low) in the presence of endogenous Smo. DN indicates narrowing of L3/4 spacing. FFS signaling was regulated by Wg rather than Ptc and Hh. Only Fz affected wing hair polarity. `smo- rescue' scored ability of prdGal4 driven transgenes to restore wg and ptc expression, and segmentation in alternate segments of smo1/smo3 embryos. nd, not determined.

 


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Fig. 1. Hedgehog response zones and wing patterning. The dorsal surface of a wing is on the left and a cartoon of wing imaginal disc is on the right. Five longitudinal veins (L1-L5) punctuate the anteroposterior axis of the wing. The center of the disc, the wing pouch, is the primordium for the wing and is colored. The horizontal line across the center of the wing pouch indicates where dorsal and ventral compartments meet at the future wing margin. Hh is secreted by cells of the posterior compartment (towards the right in this and all other figures), shaded gray. The anterior compartment responds to the gradient of Hh that forms near its border because it produces the Hh receptor Patched (Ptc) (Chen and Struhl, 1996Go; Marigo et al., 1996Go; Stone et al., 1996Go). The first two or three cells have high levels of Hh (blue), which allows nuclear access of Ci155, depletes Ci155 to make CiA and blocks production of CiR. This activates transcription of en, ptc, col and dpp (Blair, 1992Go; Guillen et al., 1995Go; Ohlmeyer and Kalderon, 1998Go). The next four to six cells see intermediate or low levels of Hh (green and yellow, respectively), which allow nuclear access of Ci155, and make little or no CiA and little or no CiR so that Ci155 accumulates. ptc, col, dpp and iro are made in the intermediate zone, whereas only dpp and iro are made in the low zone (Mullor et al., 1997Go; Strigini and Cohen, 1997Go; Vervoort et al., 1999Go; Mullor and Guerrero, 2000Go). Far from Hh sources (red), Ci155 is depleted to produce CiR, and Hh target genes are repressed. En expression defines the high response zone where it prevents Iro expression and where Ptc sequesters Hh to limit the range of signaling (Hidalgo, 1994Go; Chen and Struhl, 1996Go; de Celis and Barrio, 2000Go; Crozatier et al., 2002Go). The intermediate zone is defined by the overlap of iro and col. Col in the high and intermediate zones downregulates Dpp responses; the result is the L3/4 intervein (Vervoort et al., 1999Go; de Celis and Barrio, 2000Go; Mohler et al., 2000Go; Crozatier et al., 2002Go). Col also activates transcription of the secreted EGFR ligand Vein, which signals to posterior adjacent cells to make vein L4 (Mohler et al., 2000Go; Crozatier et al., 2002Go). In the low zone, only dpp and iro are induced. They cooperate to specify vein L3 (Mullor and Guerrero, 2000Go). Dpp also promotes growth along the anteroposterior axis and acts as a morphogen to pattern deeper in the anterior and posterior compartments (Lawrence and Struhl, 1996Go). Finally, G1 cyclins are activated by Hh to promote growth and proliferation (Duman-Scheel et al., 2002Go).

 


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Fig. 2. Smo overexpression progressively activates Hh responses. (A-E) Wild type, (F-N) hemizygous MS1096, which express Gal4 throughout the wing pouch, higher dorsally than ventrally and highest in the dorsal hinge (K). (F-J) UasSmo 4x, (L-O) UasSmohigh. (B,G,L) Iro, with bracket indicating the L3 region, (C,H,M) dpp, (D,I,N) ptc, (E,J,O) col. UasSmo 4x increased venation (F) and expanded Iro and dpp (G,H), but had little effect on ptc or col (I,J). High UasSmo expanded the wing pouch and caused dorsal anterior misexpression of Iro, dpp and ptc (L-N), but not col (O). In this, and all other figures, anterior is towards the left and (for imaginal discs) ventral is upwards.

 


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Fig. 4. FFS activates low signaling and is regulated by Wg. All tissue is from MS1096 hemizygotes. (A-E) Heterozygous UasFFShigh, (F) heterozygous EP941 that drives endogenous ptc, (G) EP941/UasFFShigh, (H-J) UasWg/UasFFShighh. FFS generated mild overgrowth of the anteroposterior axis of the wing and expansion of the costa, with no disturbance of wing hair polarity (A). It also expanded expression of Iro and dpp at the anterior margin of the wing pouch (arrowheads in B,C), and dpp in a line corresponding to the presumptive wing margin. ptc (D) and col (E) expression remained essentially normal, though there was a small gap in ptc expression at the presumptive wing margin. ptc overexpression reduced the size of the AP axis, abolished the L3/4 territory and much of L3 (F). ptc overexpression had no effect on the anterior overgrowth driven by FFS, though it transformed the L3/4 intervein to excess venation (G). UasWg in combination with UasFFS caused massive activation of Hh targets including dpp (H), ptc (I) and col (J).

 


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Fig. 5. SSF is dominant negative for high signaling. All tissue (except L) is from MS1096 hemizygotes. (A-E,M,N) Heterozygous smo3 UasSSFhigh, (F-I,O,P) heterozygous smo3 UasSSFhigh; Su(fu)LP, (J) smo3 UasSSFhigh/UasFu, (K) smo3 UasSSFhigh/UasSmo. (C,G) Expression of dpp, (D,H) ptc, (E,I) col and (L-P) Ci C-terminal epitope. SSF gave strong narrowing of L3/4 (bracket in A). This reflected loss of col (E) and ptc (D), and expansion of dpp (C) and Iro (bracket in B). In the notum primordium, where MS1096 does not drive transgene expression (bracket in M,N), and in wild-type imaginal discs (L), Ci155 accumulated in a zone some four or five cells wide. The apparent fading of Ci155 in the posterior-most two or three cells of its domain (immediately adjacent to the compartment border) is due to Hh-dependent depletion (e.g. Ohlmeyer and Kalderon, 1998Go). With SSF, Ci155 accumulated in a broad domain with no depletion at the compartment border (M,N). If Ci155 is free to enter nuclei, it is trapped there by the nuclear export blocker, LMB (N-P). In wild type, Ci155 was trapped in nuclei of six or seven cells adjacent to the border, but not deeper in the anterior compartment (bracket in N). SSF blocked nuclear accumulation of Ci155 at the border (remainder of N). SSF did not affect the L3/4 intervein in a Su(fu) mutant background (bracket in F), and instead gave anterior expansion of L3 and overgrowth along the AP axis. ptc (H) and col (I) were partly rescued at the compartment border, while dpp (G) and ptc expanded across the overgrown dorsal anterior compartment. Ci155 accumulated in nuclei of LMB-treated Sufu mutant discs, both at the border (P) and deep in the anterior compartment (O). The L3/4 narrowing of SSF was mildly suppressed by simultaneous expression of Fu (J) and was more strongly suppressed by simultaneous overexpression of Smo (K).

 


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Fig. 7. SmoC activates low signaling and interferes with high signaling. All tissue is from MS1096 hemizygotes grown at 25°C, except for F and G which were grown at 18°C. (A-E,P,Q) Homozygous UasSmoC. (F) UasSmoC/+; UasSmoC/+ and (G) UasSmoC/+; UasSmoC/Pcos+ siblings. (H-J) Doubly heterozygous smo3 SmoC2, SmoC3 with Pcos+ (I) or UasFu (J). (K,L) homozygous UasSmoC with heterozygous UasSmo (K) or EP941 (K). SmoC 4x expanded L3 anteriorly to fill the L2/3 intervein (square brackets), reduced the L3/4 intervein, and expanded the costa or reduced the size of the anterior compartment (A,F,H), though the extent was sensitive to genetic background and growth conditions. SmoC expanded expression of Iro (bracket in B) and dpp(C), as well as the reduced expression of ptc (D) and col (E). At 18°C SmoC consistently produced costal overgrowth (F) that was eliminated in siblings carrying a third copy of wild-type cos (G). Pcos+ reduced the L3/4 narrowing and ectopic venation caused by SmoC, relative to siblings (compare H with I). Pcos+ failed to suppress the L3/4 narrowing of high SSF (O). Pcos+ also suppressed the costal overgrowth of 4x FFS (M) and the ectopic venation of 4x Smo (N). Fu enhanced the ectopic venation and costal overgrowth of SmoC, as well as suppressing the L3/4 narrowing (J). The L3/4 narrowing and ectopic venation of 4x Sm°C was suppressed in siblings carrying 2x Smo (compare K with A). SmoC enhanced the growth reduction caused by Ptc, so that the wing is virtually eliminated (compare L with Fig. 4F). SmoC reduced accumulation of Ci155 near the compartment border (P) in the wing pouch where MS1096 is expressed relative to the notum where MS1096 is not expressed (bracket). It also caused abnormal accumulation of Ci155 in the costal primordium (arrowhead). SmoC promoted nuclear access of Ci155 far from compartment border (arrow) in LMB-treated imaginal discs (Q).

 


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Fig. 9. The model: three states of Smoothened translate Hh levels into distinct responses. Smo can adopt three states, a decision normally dictated by Hh, via Ptc. The Ci regulatory complex, which includes full-length Ci, Cos and Fu, likewise can adopt three states (Ingham and McMahon, 2001Go). In the absence of Hh (A) Smo is OFF. Its cytoplasmic aspect is unavailable for signaling. The Cos/Fu/Ci regulatory complex is anchored to microtubules and promotes efficient processing of Ci155 to CiR. Low levels of Hh (B) expose Cos inhibitory sites in the cytoplasmic tail of Smo. Cos interaction with these sites drives the Ci regulatory complex into the low state, which recruits Sufu and makes little CiR or CiA. high levels of Hh (C) drive a major change in Smo, possibly dimerization. This allows the cytoplasmic tails of Smo to cooperatively activate Fu and Cos. Fu* and Cos* then cooperate to inactivate Sufu, to block CiR production, and to produce CiA at the expense of Ci155.

 





© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2003