The movements that give rise to the body’s structure are powered by cell shape changes and rearrangements that are coordinated at supracellular scales. How such cellular coordination arises and integrates different morphogenetic programs is unclear. Using quantitative imaging, we found a complex pattern of adherens junction (AJ) levels in the ectoderm prior to gastrulation onset in Drosophila. AJ intensity exhibited a double-sided gradient, with peaks at the dorsal midline and ventral neuroectoderm. We show that this dorsal-ventral AJ pattern is regulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling and that this signal is required for ectoderm cell movement during mesoderm invagination and axis extension. We identify AJ levels and junctional actomyosin as downstream effectors of EGFR signaling. Overall, our study demonstrates an EGF-patterned mechanical feedback mechanism that coordinates tissue folding and convergent extension to facilitate embryo-wide gastrulation movements.

中文翻译：

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EGFR 依赖性肌动球蛋白模式协调黑腹果蝇组织之间的形态发生运动


产生身体结构的运动是由细胞形状变化和重排驱动的，这些变化和重排在细胞超细胞尺度上协调。这种细胞协调是如何产生并整合不同的形态发生程序的尚不清楚。使用定量成像，我们在果蝇原肠胚形成开始之前在外胚层中发现了粘附连接 （AJ） 水平的复杂模式。AJ 强度呈双侧梯度，在背侧中线和腹侧神经外胚层出现峰值。我们表明，这种背腹 AJ 模式受表皮生长因子 （EGF） 信号传导调节，并且该信号是中胚层内陷和轴延伸期间外胚层细胞运动所必需的。我们确定 AJ 水平和交界肌动球蛋白是 EGFR 信号传导的下游效应物。总体而言，我们的研究证明了一种 EGF 模式的机械反馈机制，该机制可协调组织折叠和会聚延伸，以促进胚胎范围的原肠胚形成运动。