Delta Notch Signalling: Basic Facts 

Notch Receptor:

• Identified by John S. Dexter in 1914 in the wings of Drosophila Melanogaster.
• Single pass transmembrane protein.
• Intracellular Ankyrin repeats. 
• 4 types of Notch receptor in vertebrates: Notch1, Notch2, Notch3 & Notch4
• 1 type of notch receptor in Drosophilla: Notch1 

(Image courtesey of: DKFZ)

Delta Ligand:  

• Other ligands for Notch include Serrate (in Drosophila), Jagged and Delta-like (in mammals).
• Single pass transmembrane protein.
• Delta acts as a juxtacrine signal.
• Part of the DSL family of proteins.

Basic Structure:

Both Delta and Notch proteins have EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) repeats in their extracellular domains. These repeats are made up of multiple cysteines which form disulphide bonds with one another. Amino acid sequences between cysteines give the protein its 3D, looped structure which is required to allow protein-protein interactions between ligand and receptor. Differences in amino acid sequences give variability and specificity to the proteins. Cysteine pairing is not random; it is regulated by disulphide isomerase in the ER. 

Drosophila Melanogaster:

are the most commonly used organisms when studying Delta-Notch signalling. Drosophila are ideal model organisms due to:

• their short life cycle (which can be regulated by temperature)
• Ideal for high throughput screening.
• Drosophila have only 4 chromosomes, which makes genetic aspects less complex/easier to study.
• Development is very similar to that of humans. 

Delta- Notch signalling pathways can promote as well as inhibit cell fate. Many developmental cell behaviours involve Notch signalling in some way. Our website aims to focus on a few main examples of Delta-Notch signalling in both development and disease.

Delta-Notch Signalling

The aim of this website is to provide useful information about Delta-Notch Signalling and its roles in development which can be used as a tool for both learning and revising. 

Banner image courtesy of: Flickr 

Hamel et al. (2010) J. Cell Biol. 188, 581-594. Some rights reserved.