Clones lacking Notch signaling (green) maintain E-cadherin (red) junctions (white arrow) when normal regions have dismantled them (yellow arrow).

The Notch pathway is renowned for its reign over differentiation. Now, its sway is widened into the realm of morphogenesis and cell–cell adhesion. Grammont (page 139) shows that Notch signaling remodels adherens junctions while cells change shape during development.

Developmental programs generally require plenty of changes in cell shape. In the developing fly oocyte, a set of cells on the posterior end acquire a columnar shape, whereas anterior cells flatten. Notch has been implicated in several aspects of oogenesis in flies. To better dissect its role, Grammont analyzed developing oocytes with somatic clones mutant for Notch signaling.

The clones revealed that Notch activity is necessary for the anterior cells to take on their new flattened shapes at the proper time. Mutant clones were delayed in...

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