Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Dev Cell. 2010 Jan 19;18(1):157-64. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2009.11.004.
FGF signaling is a central regulator of branching morphogenesis processes, such as angiogenesis or the development of branched organs including lung, kidney, and mammary gland. The formation of the air sac during the development of the Drosophila tracheal system is a powerful genetic model to investigate how FGF signaling patterns such emerging structures. This article describes the characterization of the Drosophila matrix metalloprotease Mmp2 as an extracellular inhibitor of FGF morphogenetic function. Mmp2 expression in the developing air sac is controlled by the Drosophila FGF homolog Branchless and then participates in a negative feedback and lateral inhibition mechanism that defines the precise pattern of FGF signaling. The signaling function for MMPs described here may not be limited to branching morphogenesis processes.
FGF 信号是分支形态发生过程（如血管生成或分支器官的发育，包括肺、肾和乳腺）的中央调节剂。在果蝇气管系统发育过程中气囊的形成是一个强大的遗传模型，可以研究 FGF 信号模式如何影响这些新兴结构的形成。本文描述了果蝇基质金属蛋白酶 Mmp2 作为 FGF 形态发生功能的细胞外抑制剂的特性。在发育中的气囊中，Mmp2 的表达受果蝇 FGF 同源物 Branchless 的控制，然后参与一个负反馈和侧向抑制机制，该机制定义了 FGF 信号的精确模式。这里描述的 MMPs 的信号功能可能不仅限于分支形态发生过程。
