Salt Inducible Kinases as Novel Notch Interactors in the DevelopingDrosophilaRetina

Abstract

Developmental processes require strict regulation of proliferation, differentiation and patterning for the generation of final organ size. Aberrations in these fundamental events are critically important in understanding tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Salt inducible kinases (Siks) are evolutionarily conserved genes involved in diverse biological processes, including salt sensing, metabolism, muscle and skeletal development. Recent findings implicate SIKs in tumor suppression or progression. However, their role in development remains largely unknown.Using a sensitized tumor model in the Drosophila eye, we show that perturbations of Sik function exacerbates tumor-like tissue overgrowth and metastasis. Furthermore, we show that both