Apical extracellular matrix regulates fold morphogenesis in the Drosophila wing disc.

Apical extracellular matrix (aECM) in the Drosophila wing disc is linked to fold stability, with its removal at pupariation enabling proper unfolding and remodeling into a bilayer.

• Why it matters: Folding and later unfolding are essential for organ development, but the mechanical factor that stabilizes epithelial folds and times their release is not well defined.
• What they did: The authors built 3D segmentation of the apical wing disc surface from larval stages through early pupariation, defined fold depth and width for curved tissues, modeled folds with a lateral vertex model with an adhesive aECM layer, and tested aECM removal using genetic perturbations.
• The result: Modeling predicts unfolding is preceded by aECM removal, and experiments show aECM loss causes abnormal fold shape and unfolding dynamics, while blocking removal at pupariation inhibits unfolding; larval perturbations also yield adult wing morphological phenotypes.

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