Signaling interactions between squamous and columnar epithelia of the Drosophila wing disc.

Understanding the interactions between distinct epithelial cells would help us to understand the development of tissues. Drosophila imaginal discs, which are made up of two types of epithelial cells, provide good model systems for such studies. The disc proper or the columnar epithelial cells are apposed to a layer of squamous epithelial cells (the peripodial membrane). We have examined organization of peripodial and disc proper cells vis-à-vis their polarity since cell polarity plays an important role in the polarized transport of signaling molecules. With the help of polarity-specific cell markers, we have observed that apical surfaces of peripodial and disc proper cells face each other. This provides the cellular basis for the recently demonstrated signaling interactions between peripodial and disc proper cells during disc patterning. We also report significant similarities as well as differences between peripodial and disc proper cells in Engrailed-dependent wingdisc-patterning events, which make them an appropriate model system for studying the mechanism of diffusion of signal molecules, such as Hedgehog. Results with wild-type and two mutant forms of Hedgehog suggest that direct cell-cell contact is a requirement for the movement of wild-type Hedgehog signal and reconfirm that cholesterol-modification of Hedgehog makes it a short-range signaling molecule by restricting its movement.