title: The organization of the antero-posterior axis.
abstract: The components specifying the spatial coordinates of the Drosophila embryo are deposited in the egg during oogenesis. Three maternal pathways control the pattern of the embryo along its antero-posterior axis. Genetic and molecular analysis has identified the key-genes in each of these pathways: (1) the bicoid gene encodes an anterior signal in the embryo that directs head and thorax formation via transcriptional activation of anteriorly expressed zygotic genes. (2) A posterior signal, the nanos gene product, antagonizes an inhibitor of abdominal development, hunchback, by translational regulation. (3) A terminal signal controls development at both poles of the embryo. It is probably induced by the somatic follicle cells and transmitted to the embryo via a membrane bound receptor encoded by the gene torso. Other maternal genes function in the localization of these signals or in signal transduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of biochemistry and Cell Biology, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794-5215.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klingler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005796:Genes; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000235:genetics; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D015534:Trans-Activators
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007301:Insect Hormones; D015534:Trans-Activators; C056478:bcd protein, Drosophila