Tau mediated regulation of Rho1- cytoskeletal dynamics in shaping renal tubule development in Drosophila

The present study explored the significance of the microtubule-associated protein Tau in the morphogenesis and physiological processes of Malpighian tubules (MTs) in Drosophila melanogaster. Employing genetic manipulation techniques and microscopy, we established that Tau plays a crucial role in MTs development and function. Genetic ablation and RNAi-mediated suppression of Tau led to pronounced structural abnormalities, including cystic formations, non-uniform tubule diameters, and disorganized epithelial architecture. These aberrations are accompanied by perturbations in the cytoskeletal arrangement, compromised cellular polarity, and ionic imbalances. Functional analyses revealed deficiencies in salt homeostasis and fluid secretion within Tau-deficient tubules. Attenuation of Rho1 expression mitigated the structural defects observed in Tau mutants, highlighting the importance of Tau in modulating Rho1-mediated actin-microtubule dynamics suggesting a genetic interplay between Tau and Rho1 GTPase in orchestrating tubule morphogenesis The phenotypic parallels between Tau-deficient MTs and mammalian models of polycystic kidney disease implies an evolutionarily conserved function of Tau in tubular organ biology. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=111 SRC="FIGDIR/small/634261v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (26K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1f4afc6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1402eb7org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bb089dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1328b2e_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG