Endocytic control of tumor suppression in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Mutations in Drosophila melanogaster tumor suppressor genes are able to cause neoplastic overgrowth in various epithelial tissues. Screens in Drosophila showed that a multitude of components from the endocytic pathway act as tumor suppressors. This suggests that the process of endocytosis plays an essential role in suppressing neoplastic tumor formation in Drosophila. The question is how exactly the perturbation of endocytosis leads to the rise of epithelial neoplasms. Through assessing the endocytic genes that have a tumor suppressing function and highlighting the role of endocytosis in cell growth signaling, asymmetric cell division, and polarity, I will discuss how a defect in this pathway can be responsible for tumorigenesis. Understanding how different cellular processes are affected by aberrant endocytosis is pivotal to unravel the mechanisms behind Drosophila tumor formation and strengthens its use as a model for human cancer.