Rab-mediated vesicular transport is required for neuronal positioning in the developing Drosophila visual system

BACKGROUND: The establishment of tissue architecture in the nervous system requires the proper migration and positioning of newly born neurons during embryonic development. Defects in nuclear translocation, a key process in neuronal positioning, are associated with brain diseases such as lissencephaly in humans. Accumulated evidence suggests that the molecular mechanisms controlling neuronal movement are conserved throughout evolution. While the initial events of neuronal migration have been extensively studied, less is known about the molecular details underlying the establishment of neuronal architecture after initial migration. RESULTS: In a search for novel players in the control of photoreceptor (R cell) positioning in the developing fly visual system, we found that misexpression of the RabGAP RN-Tre disrupted the apical localization of R-cell nuclei. RN-Tre interacts with Rab5 and Rab11 in the fly eye. Genetic analysis shows that Rab5, Shi and Rab11 are required for maintaining apical localization of R-cell nuclei. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that Rab5, Shi and Rab11 function together in a vesicular transport pathway for regulating R-cell positioning in the developing eye.