First published online June 22, 2006
Development 133, 1401e (2006)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
New In(R)oads into growth control
Different animal species have characteristic sizes. A mouse does not grow
to the size of a horse, for example, because during development, environmental
cues (particularly nutrient availability) act together with genetic cues to
regulate cell growth and proliferation. The insulin receptor (InR) signalling
pathway cell autonomously controls cellular responses to nutrient
availability. Now, on p.
2617, Milán and colleagues report that
calderón, which encodes a new organic cation transporter of
the major facilitator superfamily, is a downstream effector of InR in
developing Drosophila tissues. The researchers show that
calderón mutant flies are smaller than wild-type flies and
developmentally delayed, a phenotype that resembles that caused by mutations
in the InR pathway. Genetic experiments indicate that the expression of
calderón is positively regulated by InR downstream effectors,
including TOR (target of rapamycin), and that calderón is
required for TOR-mediated growth induction. Thus, the authors conclude,
calderón is required for the cell-autonomous, insulin-mediated
control of cell growth and proliferation during Drosophila
development.
Related articles in Development:
- calderón encodes an organic cation transporter of the major facilitator superfamily required for cell growth and proliferation of Drosophila tissues
- Héctor Herranz, Ginés Morata, and Marco Milán
Development 2006 133: 2617-2625.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
