SIGNALING PATHWAYS INITIATED BY RECEPTOR PROTEIN-TYROSINE KINASES IN DROSOPHILA

The isolation and characterization of Drosophila mutations in receptor protein tyrosine kinases (RPTKs) have allowed a detailed analysis of the cellular processes regulated by these proteins. Recent investigations have identified a number of putative ligands involved in the activation of the receptors, and have demonstrated that these RPTKs trigger an evolutionarily conserved biochemical pathway. In addition to molecules previously identified from vertebrate studies, i.e. Grb2, Sos, Ras-Gap, p21(ras) Raf, MEK and MAPK, genetic studies have suggested that two novel proteins, the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) Csw and the transmembrane protein Rho, are involved in RPTK signalling.