Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA.
Results Probl Cell Differ. 2024;71:91-100. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-37936-9_5.
The Drosophila trachea is an interconnected network of epithelial tubes, which delivers gases throughout the entire organism. It is the premier model to study the development of tubular organs, such as the human lung, kidney, and blood vessels. The Drosophila embryonic trachea derives from a series of segmentally repeated clusters. The tracheal precursor cells in each cluster migrate out in a stereotyped pattern to form primary branches. Thereafter, the neighboring branches need to fuse to form an interconnected tubular network. The connection between neighboring branches is orchestrated by specialized cells, called fusion cells. These cells fuse with their counterparts to form a tube with a contiguous lumen. Branch fusion is a multi-step process that includes cell migration, cell adhesion, cytoskeleton track formation, vesicle trafficking, membrane fusion, and lumen formation. This review summarizes the current knowledge on fusion process in the Drosophila trachea. These mechanisms will greatly contribute to our understanding of branch fusion in mammalian systems.
果蝇的气管是一个相互连通的上皮管网络，它将气体输送到整个生物体。它是研究管状器官发育的主要模型，如人类的肺、肾和血管。果蝇胚胎气管源于一系列分段重复的簇。每个簇中的气管前体细胞以一种刻板的模式迁移出来，形成初级分支。此后，相邻的分支需要融合形成一个相互连通的管状网络。相邻分支之间的连接是由专门的细胞（称为融合细胞）协调的。这些细胞与它们的对应物融合，形成一个具有连续腔的管状结构。分支融合是一个多步骤的过程，包括细胞迁移、细胞黏附、细胞骨架轨道形成、囊泡运输、膜融合和腔形成。这篇综述总结了目前关于果蝇气管融合过程的知识。这些机制将极大地促进我们对哺乳动物系统中分支融合的理解。
