Tanentzapf Lab

Last month our paper on the role of integrin-based adhesion in regulation force transmission in epithelial tissues was published in Developmental Cell!

Basal Cell-Extracellular Matrix Adhesion Regulates Force Transmission during Tissue Morphogenesis Goodwin, Ellis et al. identify integrin-containing focal adhesion-like structures on the basal amnioserosa surface that act as tethers, anchoring the apical cell surface to the substrate. These basal adhesions are required for dorsal closure, where they modulate apical surface force transmission and...

Haven't updated for a while but back in September our paper was featured on the cover of current biology!

Occluding Junctions Maintain Stem Cell Niche Homeostasis in the Fly Te**es Adult stem cell niches must remain a consistent size to maintain optimal numbers of stem cells. Fairchild et al. find a novel role for occluding junctions in maintaining homeostasis of the fly te**is stem cell niche. Disruption of these junctions in the differentiating somatic cells leads to growth…

Our lab's latest paper is featured on the cover of the latest issue of the journal Development!

Cover Photo — August 1, 2015, 142 (15) Cover: Whole-mount adult Drosophila ovaries. The gap junction protein Zero population growth (Zpg/Innexin4) tagged with GFP (green) labels the developing germ line throughout oogenesis. DAPI counterstaining labels the nuclei (magenta). See Research article by Smendziuk et al. on p. 2598.

Our latest paper is available online at Development. Paper should come out shortly!

Bi-directional gap junction-mediated Soma-Germline communication is essential for... Development. 2015 Jun 26. pii: dev.123448. [Epub ahead of print]

Our latest paper is now out as Development!

A somatic permeability barrier around the germline is essential for Drosophila spermatogenesis Interactions between the soma and germline are essential for gametogenesis. In the Drosophila te**is, differentiating germ cells are encapsulated by two somatic cells that surround the germline throughout spermatogenesis. chickadee (chic), the fly ortholog of Profilin, mediates soma-germline interac…

The Talin Head Domain Reinforces Integrin-Mediated Adhesion by Promoting Adhesion Complex... Author Summary Cells are the building blocks of our bodies. How do cells rearrange to form three-dimensional body plans and maintain specific tissue structures? Specialized adhesion molecules on the cell surface mediate attachment between cells and their surrounding environment to hold tissues toget…

The systematic identification of cytoskeletal genes required for Drosophila melanogaster muscle... Scientific Data, Published online: 11 March 2014; | doi:10.1038/sdata.2014.2

An Ongoing Role for Structural Sarcomeric Components in Maintaining Drosophila melanogaster... Animal muscles must maintain their function while bearing substantial mechanical loads. How muscles withstand persistent mechanical strain is presently not well understood. The basic unit of muscle is the sarcomere, which is primarily composed of cytoskeletal proteins. We hypothesized that cytoskele…

Talin Autoinhibition Is Required for Morphogenesis: Current Biology Disruption of a Conserved Autoinhibitory Intramolecular Interaction between the Talin FERM and the Talin Rod Leads to Morphogenetic Defects, Including Delayed Dorsal Closure