Research Topic:  Organogenesis in a model system:  Formation of the Drosophila salivary gland and trachea

Tube formation is a ubiquitous process required to sustain life in all multicellular organisms. Tubular organs include the lungs, vasculature, digestive and excretory systems, as well as secretory organs such as the pancreas, salivary, prostrate, and mammary glands. My lab studies the Drosophila trachea and salivary gland as model systems for tube formation to learn how organ size, shape and function is normally controlled.  Over the past several years, we identified many genes expressed in the trachea and salivary gland and are characterizing the subset required for early tube morphogenesis.

Two of the genes encode transcription factors required for internalization of either the trachea or salivary gland, trachealess and fork head. Three genes encode transcription factors controlling tube elongation, ribbon, huckebein and hairy. Finally, several genes encode components of signaling pathways required for organ positioning. Current efforts in the lab are directed toward identifying and characterizing the roles of the downstream effector molecules regulated by these transcription factors and signaling pathways. We also study the mechanisms whereby the salivary gland becomes specialized for secretion and have learned that secretory capacity in this and other secretory organs is largely controlled by a single transcription factor, CrebA.

Selected Publications

Fox, R.M., Vaishnavi, A., Maruyama, R., and Andrew, D.J. (2013) Organ-specific gene expression: the bHLH protein Sage provides tissue-specificity to Drosophila FoxA. Development. In press.

Ismat, A., Cheshire, A. and Andrew, D.J. (2013) The secreted AdamTS-A metalloprotease is required for collective cell migration. Development. In press.

Barbosa S, Fasanella G, Carreira S, Llarena M, Fox R, Barreca C, Andrew D, and O'Hare P. (2013) An orchestrated program regulating secretory pathway genes and cargos by the transmembrane transcripton factor CREB-H. Traffic. 14: 382-398.

Chung, S.-Y., Chavez, C. and Andrew, D.J. (2011) Trachealess (Trh) regulates all tracheal genes during Drosophila embryogenesis.   Developmental Biology 360: 160-172.  PMID: 21963537

Fox, R.M., Hanlon, C.D. and Andrew, D.J. (2010) The CrebA/Creb3-like transcription factors are major and direct regulators of secretory capacity. Journal of Cell Biology 191: 479-492. PMID: 21041443

Kerman, B.E. and Andrew, D.J. (2010) Staying alive: Dalmatian-mediated epigenetic blocking of apoptosis is essential for tissue maintenance.  Developmental Dynamics 239:1609-21.  PMID: 20503358

Andrew, D.J. and Ewald, A.J. (2010) Morphogenesis of epithelial tubes: Insights into tube formation, elongation, and elaboration.  Developmental Biology 341: 34-55. PMID: 19778532

Chung, S.-Y., Vining, M.S., Bradley, P.L., Chan, C.-C., Wharton, K.A. and Andrew, D.J. (2009) Serrano (Sano) functions with the planar cell polarity genes to control tracheal tube length  PLoS Genetics 5(11): e1000746. PMID: 19956736

Abrams, E.W., Mihoulides, W.K. and Andrew, D.J. (2006) Fork head and Sage maintain a uniform and patent salivary gland lumen through regulation of two downstream target genes, PH4áSG1 and PH4áSG2.  Development 133:  3517-3527. PMID: 16914497

Myat, M.M. and Andrew, D.J. (2002) Epithelial tube morphology is determined by the polarized growth and delivery of apical membrane. Cell 111:879-891. PMID: 12526813