Extrinsic MMPs drive epithelial shape change via basal extracellular matrix disassembly in the Drosophila wing disc (opens in new tab)

Epithelial morphogenesis generates complex tissue architectures with remarkable reproducibility, yet how tissue-scale epithelial curvature transitions are triggered in vivo remains poorly understood. Here, we show that epithelial morphogenesis during early pupal development of the Drosophila wing disc is regulated non-autonomously through spatially restricted remodeling of the basal extracellular matrix (ECM) by neighboring tissues. Live imaging analyses reveal a previously unrecognized morph...