Intercellular bridges between follicle cells and oocyte during the differentiation of follicular epithelium in Lacerta sicula Raf

1978 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 341-350
Author(s):  
P. Andreuccetti ◽  
C. Taddei ◽  
S. Filosa

Intercellular bridges first appear during lizard oogenesis when follicles are rather small (150 microgram in diameter); at this stage they form connecting links between the oocyte and follicle cells, which have not yet differentiated into pyriform cells. Later on, when the follicles have become larger (1 mm) and the follicular epithelium appears constituted by 3 types of cells (small, intermediate and pyriform cells) they form connecting links between the oocyte and both intermediate and pyriform cells. The establishment of intercellular bridges between pyriform cells and the oocyte precedes the complete differentiation of the former, which excludes the possibility that the fusion between pyriform cells and oocyte occurs only after these cells are completely differentiated. In still larger follicles (up to 2 mm in diameter), during the degeneration of the pyriform cells, the occurrence, inside the bridges, of mitochondria and other cytoplasmic material suggests that these cells at the end of their function transfer their contents into the oocyte.

Development ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
S. Filosa ◽  
C. Taddei ◽  
P. Andreuccetti

The follicular epithelium of the lizard oocytes undergoes structural and morphological modifications throughout oocyte growth. During this process the number of follicle cells increases and the epithelium acquires a multilayered and polymorphic organization which is characterized by the appearance of large follicle cells (intermediate and pyriform cells). The number of large cells also increases during oocyte growth and this increase parallels that of small cells. However, only the small cells become labelled one hour after [3H-]thymidine administration. Large cells have been found labelled after a longer period of time, i.e. 4–5 months after isotope injection. All these results together indicate that large follicle cells arise from the differentiation of small cells.


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1187-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randa Abu-Hakima ◽  
K. G. Davey

The follicular epithelium of vitellogenic oocytes from allatectomized females of Rhodnius fails to develop large intercellular spaces when exposed to juvenile hormone (JH) in vitro. This suggests that in the normal animal, the follicle cells require JH at two developmental stages. Differentiation of the cells in the presence of JH represents one requirement, and only those cells which have undergone this initial priming are fully competent to exhibit the second response, the development of intercellular spaces.


2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 891-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Tanentzapf ◽  
Christian Smith ◽  
Jane McGlade ◽  
Ulrich Tepass

Analysis of the mechanisms that control epithelial polarization has revealed that cues for polarization are mediated by transmembrane proteins that operate at the apical, lateral, or basal surface of epithelial cells. Whereas for any given epithelial cell type only one or two polarization systems have been identified to date, we report here that the follicular epithelium in Drosophila ovaries uses three different polarization mechanisms, each operating at one of the three main epithelial surface domains. The follicular epithelium arises through a mesenchymal–epithelial transition. Contact with the basement membrane provides an initial polarization cue that leads to the formation of a basal membrane domain. Moreover, we use mosaic analysis to show that Crumbs (Crb) is required for the formation and maintenance of the follicular epithelium. Crb localizes to the apical membrane of follicle cells that is in contact with germline cells. Contact to the germline is required for the accumulation of Crb in follicle cells. Discs Lost (Dlt), a cytoplasmic PDZ domain protein that was shown to interact with the cytoplasmic tail of Crb, overlaps precisely in its distribution with Crb, as shown by immunoelectron microscopy. Crb localization depends on Dlt, whereas Dlt uses Crb-dependent and -independent mechanisms for apical targeting. Finally, we show that the cadherin–catenin complex is not required for the formation of the follicular epithelium, but only for its maintenance. Loss of cadherin-based adherens junctions caused by armadillo (β-catenin) mutations results in a disruption of the lateral spectrin and actin cytoskeleton. Also Crb and the apical spectrin cytoskeleton are lost from armadillo mutant follicle cells. Together with previous data showing that Crb is required for the formation of a zonula adherens, these findings indicate a mutual dependency of apical and lateral polarization mechanisms.


1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 826-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Ilenchuk ◽  
K. G. Davey

A comparison has been made of the effects of juvenile hormone (JH) on the binding characteristics for ouabain of microsomes prepared from brain and from cells of the follicular epithelium surrounding previtellogenic or vitellogenic oocytes in Rhodnius. JH has no effect on the binding of ouabain to brain microsomes and decreases the Kd, but does not alter the Bmax for previtellogenic follicle cells. For vitellogenic follicle cells, Scatchard analysis reveals a curvilinear relationship, which is interpreted as indicating that a new population of JH-sensitive ouabain-binding sites develops as the follicle cell enters vitellogenesis. These results are related to earlier data obtained on the effect of JH on ATPase activity, volume changes in isolated follicle cells, and the development of spaces between the cells of the follicular epithelium.


Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (15) ◽  
pp. 2837-2846 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gonzalez-Reyes ◽  
D. St Johnston

Gurken signals from the oocyte to the adjacent follicle cells twice during Drosophila oogenesis; first to induce posterior fate, thereby polarising the anterior-posterior axis of the future embryo and then to induce dorsal fate and polarise the dorsal-ventral axis. Here we show that Gurken induces two different follicle cell fates because the follicle cells at the termini of the egg chamber differ in their competence to respond to Gurken from the main-body follicle cells in between. By removing the putative Gurken receptor, Egfr, in clones of cells, we show that Gurken signals directly to induce posterior fate in about 200 cells, defining a terminal competence domain that extends 10–11 cell diameters from the pole. Furthermore, small clones of Egfr mutant cells at the posterior interpret their position with respect to the pole and differentiate as the appropriate anterior cell type. Thus, the two terminal follicle cell populations contain a symmetric prepattern that is independent of Gurken signalling. These results suggest a three-step model for the anterior-posterior patterning of the follicular epithelium that subdivides this axis into at least five distinct cell types. Finally, we show that Notch plays a role in both the specification and patterning of the terminal follicle cells, providing a possible explanation for the defect in anterior-posterior axis formation caused by Notch and Delta mutants.


Development ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 147 (22) ◽  
pp. dev189787
Author(s):  
Cody A. Stevens ◽  
Nicole T. Revaitis ◽  
Rumkan Caur ◽  
Nir Yakoby

ABSTRACTThe Janus-kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway regulates the anterior posterior axis of the Drosophila follicle cells. In the anterior, it activates the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway through expression of the BMP ligand decapentaplegic (dpp). In the posterior, JAK/STAT works with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway to express the T-box transcription factor midline (mid). Although MID is necessary for establishing the posterior fate of the egg chamber, we show that it is not sufficient to determine a posterior fate. The ETS-transcription factor pointed (pnt) is expressed in an overlapping domain to mid in the follicle cells. This study shows that pnt is upstream of mid and that it is sufficient to induce a posterior fate in the anterior end, which is characterized by the induction of mid, the prevention of the stretched cells formation and the abrogation of border cell migration. We demonstrate that the anterior BMP signaling is abolished by PNT through dpp repression. However, ectopic DPP cannot rescue the anterior fate formation, suggesting additional targets of PNT participate in the posterior fate determination.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monia El Barhoumi ◽  
Patrick Scaps ◽  
Fathia Zghal

The reproductive cycle ofMarphysa sanguinea(Polychaeta: Eunicidae) was studied in the Lagoon of Tunis between May 2006 and May 2007.M. sanguineais a gonochoric species. There were no morphological differences between males and females, and spawning occurred without epitokal metamorphosis. Gonads are not well defined in either sex. The process of spermatogenesis takes place in the coelomic cavity. Mature males show all stages of spermiogenesis at any one time. The ovaries ofM. sanguineaconsist of coelomic germ-cell clusters surrounded by a thin envelope of follicle cells derived from the peritoneum. Germ cells in premeiotic and previtellogenic phases are observed in one cluster. In each cluster the more differentiated oocytes detach and float free in the coelomic cavity where they undergo vitellogenesis as solitary cells. The cytoplasmic material of the mature oocytes (diameter superior to 200 μm) is asymmetrically distributed; large lipid droplets and large yolk spheres occupy the vegetal pole of the oocyte while smaller yolk spheres are situated in the animal hemisphere. The female coelomic puncture has a heterogeneous aspect and shows different oocyte diameters. The reproductive period is more intense in winter period from January to March. Spawning occurs mainly in April.


Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 4553-4562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah J. Goff ◽  
Laura A. Nilson ◽  
Donald Morisato

The dorsal-ventral pattern of the Drosophila egg is established during oogenesis. Epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) signaling within the follicular epithelium is spatially regulated by the dorsally restricted distribution of its presumptive ligand, Gurken. As a consequence, pipe is transcribed in a broad ventral domain to initiate the Toll signaling pathway in the embryo, resulting in a gradient of Dorsal nuclear translocation. We show that expression of pipe RNA requires the action of fettucine (fet) in ovarian follicle cells. Loss of maternal fet activity produces a dorsalized eggshell and embryo. Although similar mutant phenotypes are observed with regulators of Egfr signaling, genetic analysis suggests that fet acts downstream of this event. The fet mutant phenotype is rescued by a transgene of capicua (cic), which encodes an HMG-box transcription factor. We show that Cic protein is initially expressed uniformly in ovarian follicle cell nuclei, and is subsequently downregulated on the dorsal side. Earlier studies described a requirement for cic in repressing zygotic target genes of both the torso and Toll pathways in the embryo. Our experiments reveal that cic controls dorsal-ventral patterning by regulating pipe expression in ovarian follicle cells, before its previously described role in interpreting the Dorsal gradient.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Santa-Cruz Mateos ◽  
Andrea Valencia-Expósito ◽  
David G. Míguez ◽  
Isabel M. Palacios ◽  
María D. Martín-Bermudo

AbstractForces generated by the actomyosin cytoskeleton are key contributors to the generation of tissue shape. Within the cell, the actomyosin cytoskeleton organizes in different types of networks, each of them performing distinct roles. In addition, although they normally localize to precise regions of the cells, they are rarely independent and often their dynamics influence each other. In fact, the reorganization of a given structure can promote the formation of another, conversions that govern many morphogenetic processes. In addition, maintenance of a specific actomyosin network organization in a differentiated tissue might be equally important. Failure to do so could lead to undesired cell state transitions, which in turn would have drastic consequences on the homeostasis of the tissue. Still, little is known about the mechanisms that ensure controlled transitions between actomyosin networks during morphogenesis or their maintenance in a differentiated tissue. Here, we use the Drosophila follicular epithelium to show that cell-ECM interactions mediated by integrins are necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the different actomyosin networks present in these epithelial cells. Elimination of integrins in a group of follicle cells results in changes in the F-actin levels and physical properties of their intracellular actomyosin networks. Integrin mutant follicle cells have reduced number of basal stress fibers. They also show increased cortical F-actin levels and tension, which interferes with proper basal surface growth. Finally, clonal elimination of integrins also triggers non-autonomous behavioural changes in neighbouring wild types cells, which now reorganize their actin cytoskeleton and spread and overlay the mutant ones. Based on these results, we propose that cell-ECM interactions mediated by integrins regulate epithelia morphogenesis and homesostasis by preserving the different types of intracellular actin networks.


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