Hedgehog morphogen gradient is robust towards variations in tissue morphology in Drosophila.

During tissue development, gradients of secreted signaling molecules known as morphogens provide cells with positional information. The mechanisms underlying morphogen spreading have been widely studied, however, it remains largely unexplored whether the shape of morphogen gradients is influenced by tissue morphology. Here, we developed an analysis pipeline to quantify the distribution of proteins within a curved tissue.

Preferential recruitment and stabilization of Myosin II at compartment boundaries in Drosophila.

The regulation of mechanical tension exerted at cell junctions guides cell behavior during tissue formation and homeostasis. Cell junctions along compartment boundaries, which are lineage restrictions separating cells with different fates and functions within tissues, are characterized by increased mechanical tension compared to that of cell junctions in the bulk of the tissue. Mechanical tension depends on the actomyosin cytoskeleton; however, the mechanisms by which mechanical tension is locally increased at cell junctions along compartment boundaries remain elusive.