Quantitative analysis of ventral denticular patterns of Drosophila melanogaster larvae and the regulation of the bithorax complex.
A quantitative model of the effect of the bithorax complex on segmentation is presented which could explain the known data of the spatiotemporal regulation of key gene complex during early Drosophila development, in relation to their effects on some of the segmentation landmarks. The model tries to put together the two different genetic levels, the genotypic and the phenotypic. At the genotypic level, a minimal cross-regulatory network of the different genes involved, Antp, Ubx, abd-A and Abd-B which explains the reported levels of expressions of these genes. At the phenotypic level, the pattern of the ventral denticle belts across the larva which are characteristics of the different segments have been compared by calculating a value of the degree of similarity in the case of the wild-type and several mutant combinations. Finally the two parts of the model are combined, showing that a satisfactory agreement between the two can be achieved. Therefore, this work is a first attempt to develop a method which will provide an explanatory solution of the old question in morphogenesis of how the phenotype is directed by the genotype of a cell or organism.
Carratalá
M
M
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas del CSIC, Facultad de Medicina, Madrid, Spain.
Vernós
I
I
Domingo
A
A
Ransom
R
R
Marco
R
R
D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005838:Genotype; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D008954:Models, Biological; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype