Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a single protein regulates secretion levels in the fruit fly’s salivary gland and its skin-like outer layer.Described in the May 15 issue of Development, the finding improves understanding of how cells become specialized for secretion, which is a critical ability of certain glands and cell types in organisms from insects to humans.The researchers discovered that a protein called CrebA single-handedly controls the entire set of events leading to secretion in the fruit fly’s salivary gland and epidermis, its skin-like outer layer.
