The MLL3/4 H3K4 methyltransferase complex in establishing an active enhancer landscape.

Enhancers are cis-regulatory elements that play essential roles in tissue-specific gene expression during development. Enhancer function in the expression of developmental genes requires precise regulation, while deregulation of enhancer function could be the main cause of tissue-specific cancer development. MLL3/KMT2C and MLL4/KMT2D are two paralogous histone modifiers that belong to the SET1/MLL (also named COMPASS) family of lysine methyltransferases and play critical roles in enhancer-regulated gene activation.

Isoform-specific functions of an evolutionarily conserved 3 bp micro-exon alternatively spliced from another exon in Drosophila homothorax gene.

Micro-exons are exons of very small size (usually 3-30 nts). Some micro-exons are alternatively spliced. Their functions, regulation and evolution are largely unknown.

Correction: Salvador-Warts-Hippo pathway regulates sensory organ development via caspase-dependent nonapoptotic signaling.

Following publication of this article, it was brought to our attention that there was a typo in the References (reference number 43) whereby the first author's name was misspelled. The correct citation is provided below. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Salvador-Warts-Hippo pathway regulates sensory organ development via caspase-dependent nonapoptotic signaling.

The fundamental roles for the Salvador-Warts-Hippo (SWH) pathway are widely characterized in growth regulation and organ size control. However, the function of SWH pathway is less known in cell fate determination. Here we uncover a novel role of the SWH signaling pathway in determination of cell fate during neural precursor (sensory organ precursor, SOP) development.

Spatial regulation of expanded transcription in the Drosophila wing imaginal disc.

Growth and patterning are coordinated during development to define organ size and shape. The growth, proliferation and differentiation of Drosophila wings are regulated by several conserved signaling pathways. Here, we show that the Salvador-Warts-Hippo (SWH) and Notch pathways converge on an enhancer in the expanded (ex) gene, which also responds to levels of the bHLH transcription factor Daughterless (Da).

A UTX-MLL4-p300 Transcriptional Regulatory Network Coordinately Shapes Active Enhancer Landscapes for Eliciting Transcription.

Enhancer activation is a critical step for gene activation. Here we report an epigenetic crosstalk at enhancers between the UTX (H3K27 demethylase)-MLL4 (H3K4 methyltransferase) complex and the histone acetyltransferase p300. We demonstrate that UTX, in a demethylase activity-independent manner, facilitates conversion of inactive enhancers in embryonic stem cells to an active (H3K4me1/H3K27ac) state by recruiting and coupling the enzymatic functions of MLL4 and p300.

Disease implication of hyper-Hippo signalling.

The Hippo signalling pathway regulates cellular proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation, thus exerting profound effects on cellular homeostasis. Inhibition of Hippo signalling has been frequently implicated in human cancers, indicating a well-known tumour suppressor function of the Hippo pathway. However, it is less certain whether and how hyperactivation of the Hippo pathway affects biological outcome in living cells.

E Proteins and ID Proteins: Helix-Loop-Helix Partners in Development and Disease.

The basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) proteins represent a well-known class of transcriptional regulators. Many bHLH proteins act as heterodimers with members of a class of ubiquitous partners, the E proteins. A widely expressed class of inhibitory heterodimer partners-the Inhibitor of DNA-binding (ID) proteins-also exists.

Salvador-Warts-Hippo pathway in a developmental checkpoint monitoring helix-loop-helix proteins.

The E proteins and Id proteins are, respectively, the positive and negative heterodimer partners for the basic-helix-loop-helix protein family and as such contribute to a remarkably large number of cell-fate decisions. E proteins and Id proteins also function to inhibit or promote cell proliferation and cancer. Using a genetic modifier screen in Drosophila, we show that the Id protein Extramacrochaetae enables growth by suppressing activation of the Salvador-Warts-Hippo pathway of tumor suppressors, activation that requires transcriptional activation of the expanded gene by the E protein Daughterless.

Eye development.

The eye has been one of the most intensively studied organs in Drosophila. The wealth of knowledge about its development, as well as the reagents that have been developed, and the fact that the eye is dispensable for survival, also make the eye suitable for genetic interaction studies and genetic screens. This article provides a brief overview of the methods developed to image and probe eye development at multiple developmental stages, including live imaging, immunostaining of fixed tissues, in situ hybridizations, and scanning electron microscopy and color photography of adult eyes.

The role of eyg Pax gene in the development of the head vertex in Drosophila.

The Drosophila head vertex is composed of three ocelli, stereotypic bristle patterns and characteristic cuticles. It is derived from the fusion of two eye-antenna discs. The head vertex primordium is located at the anterior-dorsal region of the eye disc.

Temporal switching of regulation and function of eye gone (eyg) in Drosophila eye development.

The Pax gene eyg is important for Drosophila eye development. eyg expression in the visual system changes dynamically during development. In this study, we found that the transcriptional regulation of eyg can be separated into four distinct temporal phases (E, L1, L2, and L3) and each is regulated by distinct cis-regulatory elements.

Differential requirements for the Pax6(5a) genes eyegone and twin of eyegone during eye development in Drosophila.

In eye development the tasks of tissue specification and cell proliferation are regulated, in part, by the Pax6 and Pax6(5a) proteins respectively. In vertebrates, Pax6(5a) is generated as an alternately spliced isoform of Pax6. This stands in contrast to the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which has two Pax6(5a) homologs that are encoded by the eyegone and twin of eyegone genes.