Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Paper
  • Published:

The roles of the Drosophila JAK/STAT pathway

Abstract

The JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway has been conserved throughout evolution such that true structural and functional homologues of components originally identified in vertebrate systems are also present in the model genetic system Drosophila melanogaster. In addition to roles during larval hematopoiesis reminiscent of the requirement for this pathway in mammalian systems, the JAK/STAT pathway in Drosophila is also involved in a number of other developmental events. Recent data has demonstrated further roles for the JAK/STAT pathway in the establishment of sexual identity via the early embryonic expression of Sex lethal, the segmentation of the embryo via the control of pair rule genes including even skipped and the establishment of polarity within the adult compound eye via a mechanism that includes the four jointed gene. Use of the powerful genetics in the model organism Drosophila may identify new components of the JAK/STAT pathway, define new roles for this pathway, and provide insights into the function of this signal transduction system. Here we review the roles of STAT and its associated signaling pathway during both embryonic and adult stages of Drosophila development and discuss future prospects for the identification and characterization of novel pathway components and targets.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barillas MC, Han YS, Seeley D and Kafatos FC . 1999 EMBO J 18: 959–967

  • Binari R and Perrimon N . 1994 Genes Dev 8: 300–312

  • Brodsky MH and Steller H . 1996 Dev Biol 173: 428–446

  • Cho K-O and Choi K-W . 1998 Nature 396: 272–276

  • Chou TB and Perrimon N . 1996 Genetics 144: 1673–1699

  • Chung CD, Liao J, Liu B, Rao X, Jay P, Berta P and Shuai K . 1997 Science 278: 1803–1805

  • Cline TW . 1993 Trends Genet 9: 385–390

  • Darnell JE . 1997 Science 277: 1630–1635

  • Domínguez M and de Celis JF . 1998 Nature 396: 276–278

  • Gabay L, Seger R and Shilo BZ . 1997 Science 277: 1103–1106

  • Hanratty WP and Dearolf CR . 1993 Mol Gen Genet 238: 33–37

  • Harrison DA, Binari R, Nahreini TS, Gilman M and Perrimon N . 1995 EMBO J 14: 2857–2865

  • Harrison DA, McCoon PE, Binari R, Gilman M and Perrimon N . 1998 Genes Dev 12: 3252–3263

  • Heberlein U, Borod E and Chanut F . 1998 Development 125: 567–577

  • Hou XS, Melnick MB and Perrimon N . 1996 Cell 84: 411–419

  • Juni N, Awasaki T, Yoshida K and Hori SH . 1996 Genetics 143: 1257–1270

  • Liu X, Quinn AM, Chin YE and Fu XY . 1999 Science 285: 167a

  • Luo H, Asha H, Kockel L, Parke T, Mlodzik M and Dearolf CR . 1999 Dev Biol 213: 432–441

  • Luo H, Hanratty WP and Dearolf CR . 1995 EMBO J 14: 1412–1420

  • Luo H, Rose P, Barber D, Hanratty WP, Lee S, Roberts TM, D'Andrea AD and Dearolf CR . 1997 Mol Cell Biol 17: 1562–1571

  • Mathey-Prevot B and Perrimon N . 1998 Cell 92: 697–700

  • Mesilaty-Gross S, Reich A, Motro B and Wides R . 1999 Gene 231: 173–186

  • Mohr SE and Boswell RE . 1999 Gene 229: 109–116

  • Nicholson SE, Willson TA, Farley A, Starr R, Zhang JG, Baca M, Alexander WS, Metcalf D, Hilton DJ and Nicola NA . 1999 EMBO J 18: 375–385

  • Papayannopoulos V, Tomlinson A, Panin VM, Rauskolb C and Irvine KD . 1998 Science 281: 2031–2034

  • Perrimon N and Mahowald AP . 1986 Dev Biol 118: 28–41

  • Small S, Blair A and Levine M . 1996 Dev Biol 175: 314–324

  • Sweitzer SM, Calvo S, Kraus MH, Finbloom DS and Larner AC . 1995 J Biol Chem 270: 16510–16513

  • Takeshita T, Arita T, Higuchi M, Asao H, Endo K, Kuroda H, Tanaka N, Murata K, Ishii N and Sugamura K . 1997 Immunity 6: 449–457

  • Venderosa FJ and Muller HJ . 1954 Genetics 39: 999

  • Villano JL and Katz FN . 1995 Development 121: 2767–2777

  • Wehrli M and Tomlinson A . 1998 Development 125: 1421–1432

  • Williams JG . 1999 Trends Biochem Sci 24: 333–334

  • Wolff T and Ready DF . 1993 The Development of Drosophila melanogaster Bate M and Martinez-Arias A eds Cold Spring Harbor Press Cold Spring Harbor pp 1277–1326

  • Yan R, Small S, Desplan C, Dearolf CR and Darnell JJ . 1996a Cell 84: 421–430

  • Yan R, Luo H, Darnell JJ and Dearolf CR . 1996b Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93: 5842–5847

  • Zeidler MP, Perrimon N and Strutt DI . 1999a Curr Biol 9: 1363–1372

  • Zeidler MP, Perrimon N and Strutt DI . 1999b Genes Dev 13: 1342–1353

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Thomas Cline, Henry Sun and David Strutt for sharing results prior to publication, Eric Spana for Drosophila genome project sequence searches, and Susan Smith for comments on the manuscript. MP Zeidler is a Leukemia Society of America Special Fellow, EA Bach is a Fellow of The Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research and N Perrimon is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zeidler, M., Bach, E. & Perrimon, N. The roles of the Drosophila JAK/STAT pathway. Oncogene 19, 2598–2606 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1203482

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1203482

Keywords

Search

Quick links