Resilin matrix distribution, variability and function in Drosophila
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Resilin matrix distribution, variability and function in Drosophila Steven Lerch1,2,3, Renata Zuber1, Nicole Gehring2, Yiwen Wang2, Barbara Eckel1, Klaus-Dieter Klass3, Fritz-Olaf Lehmann4 and Bernard Moussian1,2,5*
Abstract Background: Elasticity prevents fatigue of tissues that are extensively and repeatedly deformed. Resilin is a resilient and elastic extracellular protein matrix in joints and hinges of insects. For its mechanical properties, Resilin is extensively analysed and applied in biomaterial and biomedical sciences. However, there is only indirect evidence for Resilin distribution and function in an insect. Commonly, the presence of dityrosines that covalently link Resilin protein monomers (Pro-Resilin), which are responsible for its mechanical properties and fluoresce upon UV excitation, has been considered to reflect Resilin incidence. Results: Using a GFP-tagged Resilin version, we directly identify Resilin in pliable regions of the Drosophila body, some of which were not described before. Interestingly, the amounts of dityrosines are not proportional to the amounts of Resilin in different areas of the fly body, arguing that the mechanical properties of Resilin matrices vary according to their need. For a functional analysis of Resilin matrices, applying the RNA interference and Crispr/Cas9 techniques, we generated flies with reduced or eliminated Resilin function, respectively. We find that these flies are flightless but capable of locomotion and viable suggesting that other proteins may partially compensate for Resilin function. Indeed, localizations of the potentially elastic protein Cpr56F and Resilin occasionally coincide. Conclusions: Thus, Resilin-matrices are composite in the way that varying amounts of different elastic proteins and dityrosinylation define material properties. Understanding the biology of Resilin will have an impact on Resilinbased biomaterial and biomedical sciences. Keywords: Resilin, Cuticle, Extracellular matrix, Drosophila, Flight
Background Elasticity and resilience are essential for the integrity of tissues that function through repeated and extensive deformation. In vertebrates, for instance, the elastic extracellular polymeric protein Elastin in the lung and blood vessels ensures their functionality after numerous times of use [1, 2]. The insect exoskeleton (cuticle) is subdivided into rigid and pliable regions that in concert allow various types of movement like running, jumping, * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Applied Zoology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany 2 Animal Genetics, Interfaculty Institute of Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
crawling, biting and flight. An essential element of the pliable regions is an elastic extracellular protein-matrix called Resilin [3, 4]. Resilin usually resides in joints [5], wing articulations [6] and adhesive structures at the end of limbs [7]. The mechanical properties o
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