Kavita Arora, PhD

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Kavita Arora, Ph.D.

Signaling pathways and control of neuronal development/function in Drosophila

Drosophila development – My lab uses the fruit fly Drosophila as a model system to investigate the roles of TGF-ß ligands both during embryonic development and metamorphosis, as well as in adult life. Our particular focus is on the molecular mechanisms underlying the diverse cellular responses triggered by TGF-ß ligands. Another interest is coordination and integration of inputs from multiple signaling pathways. While our earlier work focused on the BMP signaling pathway and its involvement in embryonic patterning and cell fate specification, our current emphasis has shifted to dissecting the activin pathway. Unlike BMPs, Drosophila activins are expressed in differentiated cells at later stages of development, for e.g., in the nervous system, muscle, and adipose tissue. Over the last few years we have uncovered roles for activin signaling in several aspects of nervous system development and function, such as axonal pathfinding and synaptogenesis. Our current research on activin signaling is centered on two aspects: understanding how activin signaling regulates developmental timing through interactions with the steroid hormone pathway, and how activin signaling influences carbohydrate and lipid metabolism providing a key regulatory input into energy homeostasis. In parallel we have continued to work on several aspects of BMP signal-transduction. Our previous work on Schnurri, a BMP specific Smad-cofactor, led to the identification of a consensus sequence that mediates BMP-dependent repression in flies. We are using a bioinformatics approach that incorporates evolutionary constraints inferred from comparisons across 12 Drosophila genomes to identify potential novel BMP target genes containing such enhancers, that are repressed by signaling, thus less amenable to identification through conventional approaches.

Selected Publications

  • Shimell, M., Connacher, R., Park, S., Peterson, A. J., Arora, K*. and M. B. O’Connor*. (2026). Shrew is an essential, recently evolved, Drosophila specific gene required for formation of the embryonic BMP activity gradient. Developmental Biology. 534, 9-22. *Corresponding Authors
  • Lackey, K., Arora, K., and Mauzy-Melitz, D. (2018). Flying 101: Introducing Drosophila in Undergraduate Lab Courses. Article 34 In: McMahon K, Editor. Volume 39. Proceedings of the 39th Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). *Corresponding Authors
  • Donde, S., Singh, S., Arora, K. (2016). Obaid Siddiqi as Research Supervisor. Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy, Special Volume 42, 57-62. Indian National Science Academy.
  • Lujan, E., Bornemann, D. J., Rottig, C., Bayless, B. A., Stocker, H., Hafen, E., Arora, K*. and R. Warrior*. (2016). Analysis of novel alleles of brother of tout-velu, the Drosophila ortholog of human EXTL3 using a newly developed FRT42D ovoD chromosome. Genesis 54(11):573-581. *Corresponding Authors
  • Künnapuu, J., Tauscher, P.M., Tiusanen, N., Nguyen, M., Löytynoja, A., Arora, K* and O. Shimmi* (2014) Cleavage of the Drosophila screw prodomain is critical for a dynamic BMP morphogen gradient in embryogenesis. Developmental Biology 389,149-59. *Corresponding Authors
  • Ellis, J. E., Parker, J. L. Cho, J. and K. Arora. (2010) Activin signaling functions upstream of Gbb to regulate synaptic growth at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. Developmental Biology 342, 121-33.
  • Pentek, J., Parker, J. L., Wu, A. and K. Arora. (2009) Follistatin preferentially antagonizes Activin rather than BMP signaling. Genesis 47, 261-73.
  • Yao, L-C., Phin, S., Cho, J., Rushlow, C., Arora, K.# and R. Warrior#. (2008) Multiple modular promoter elements drive graded brinker expression in response to the Dpp morphogen gradient. Development 135, 2183-92.
  • Parker, J. L., Ellis, J. E., Nguyen, M. and K. Arora. (2006) The divergent TGF-ß ligand Dawdle utilizes an activin signaling pathway to influence axon guidance in Drosophila. Development 133, 4981-91.
  • Yao, L-C., Blitz, I. L., Peiffer, D. A., Phin, S., Wang, Y., Ogata, S., Cho, K. C., Arora, K.# and R. Warrior#. (2006) Schnurri transcription factors from Drosophila and vertebrates can mediate BMP signaling through a phylogenetically conserved mechanism. Development 133, 4025-34.
  • Nguyen, M., Park, S. B., Marqués, G., and K. Arora. (1998) Interpretation of a BMP-activity gradient in Drosophila embryos depends on synergistic signaling by two type I receptors Sax and Tkv. Cell 95: 495-506.
  • Letsou, A*., Arora, K*., Wrana, J*., Simin, K., Twombly, V., Jamal, J., Staehling-Hampton, K., Hoffmann, F. M., Gelbart, W. M., Massagué, J., and M. B. O’Connor. (1995) Dpp signaling in Drosophila is mediated by the punt gene product: a dual ligand binding type II receptor of the TGF-ß receptor family. Cell 80: 899-908. *All three authors contributed equally to this work.
  • Arora, K., Dai, H., Kazuko, S. G., Jamal, J., O’Connor, M. B., Letsou, A., and R. Warrior. (1995) The Drosophila schnurri gene acts in the Dpp/TGF-ß signaling pathway and encodes a transcription factor homologous to the human MBP family. Cell 81: 781-790.

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