Patrick Dondl

In [1], we study the signals mediating the mechanical interaction between somatic epithelial cells and the germline of Drosophila. We discover that, during the development of the egg chamber, the transcriptational regulator “Eyes absent” (Eya) modulates the affinity of the apical surface of epithelial cells to the nurse cells and the oocyte in the egg chamber. Using a phase field model, we develop a quantitative, mechanical description of epithelial cell behavior and demonstrate that the spatio-temporal expression of Eya controls the epithelial cells’ shape and movement during all phases of Drosophila oogenesis to establish a suitable match between epithelial cells and germline cells. Further we show that differential expression of Eya in follicle cells also controls oocyte growth via cell-cell affinity.

[1] V. Weichselberger, P. Dondl, A.-K. Classen (2022): Eya-controlled affinity between cell lineages drives tissue self-organization during Drosophila oogenesis. Nat Commun 13(1):6377. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33845-1