Lipid Phosphate Phosphatase gene CG11426 regulates glia cell numbers through Hippo signaling pathway

Abstract

Glial cells are known to have various functions such as supporting neuron nutrients, defending neuronal environments, and axon pathfinding. Among them, Drosophila glial cells are highly similar to human glial cells. Therefore, studying Drosophila glial cells is important to understand human neurodegeneration. I investigated a Drosophila gene which encodes lipid phosphate phosphatase (LPP) gene. The functions of the Drosophila LPP gene are known as germ cell migration, septate junction formation, and trachea development. In this study, i discovered a novel function of the Drosophila gene. Using the GAL4/UAS system, i suppressed the LPP gene in the Drosophila glia and eye. A mutation in the LPP gene caused a proliferation of glial cells in the embryo and eye imaginal disc at the postembryonic. Also i found that mutants of CG11426 gene have an abnormal phenotype. Mutants of the LPP gene fly showed an ommatidia aggregation and trachea defects. These results suggest that the CG11426 genes were possibly involved in glial cell development.