The Drosophila transmembrane protein Fear-of-intimacy controls glial cell migration

Development of complex organs depends on intensive cell-cell interactions, which help coordinate movements of many cell types. In a genetic screen aimed to identify genes controlling midline glia migration in the Drosophila nervous system, we have identified mutations in the gene kastchen. Here we show that during embryogenesis kastchen is also required for the normal migration of longitudinal and peripheral glial cells. During larval development, kastchen non-cell autonomously affects the migration of the subretinal glia into the eye disc. During embryonic development, kastchen not only affects glial cell migration but also controls the migration of muscle cells toward their attachment sites. In all cases, kastchen apparently functions in terminating or restricting cell migration. We identified the molecular nature of the gene by performing transgenic rescue experiments and by sequence analysis of mutant alleles. Kastchen corresponds to the recently described gene fear-of-intimacy (foi) that was identified in screen for genes affecting germ cell migration, suggesting that Foi-Kastchen is more generally involved in regulating cell migration. It encodes a member of an eight-transmembrane domain protein family of putative Zinc transporters or proteases. We determined the topology of the Foi protein by using antisera against luminal and intracellular domains of the protein and provide evidence that it does not act as a Zinc transporter. Genetic evidence suggests that one of the functions of foi may be associated with hedgehog signaling.