The Pax2 homolog sparkling is required for development of cone and pigment cells in the Drosophila eye.
A new Drosophila Pax gene, sparkling (spa), implicated in eye development, was isolated and shown to encode the homolog of the vertebrate Pax2, Pax5, and Pax8 proteins. It is expressed in the embryonic nervous system and in cone, primary pigment, and bristle cells of larval and pupal eye discs. In spa(pol) mutants, a deletion of an enhancer abolishes Spa expression in cone and primary pigment cells and results in a severely disturbed development of non-neuronal ommatidial cells. Spa expression is further required for activation of cut in cone cells and of the Bar locus in primary pigment cells. We suggest close functional analogies between Spa and Pax2 in the development of the insect and vertebrate eye.
Fu
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Institute for Molecular Biology, Division II, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Noll
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051762:PAX2 Transcription Factor; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; D000072636:PAX8 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics
C072318:B-H1 protein, Drosophila; C072319:B-H2 protein, Drosophila; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D051762:PAX2 Transcription Factor; C497318:PAX2 protein, human; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; C497281:PAX5 protein, human; D000072636:PAX8 Transcription Factor; C083325:PAX8 protein, human; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C497319:Pax2 protein, mouse; C499496:Pax8 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C066381:ct protein, Drosophila; C107990:sv protein, Drosophila