The ground state of the ventral appendage in Drosophila.
In Drosophila melanogaster, the antennae, legs, genitalia, and analia make up a serially homologous set of ventral appendages that depend on different selector genes for their unique identities. The diversity among these structures implies that there is a common ground state that selector genes modify to generate these different appendage morphologies. Here we show that the ventral appendage that forms in the absence of selector gene activity is leglike but consists of only two segments along its proximo-distal axis: a proximal segment and a distal tarsus. These results raise the possibility that, during evolution, leglike appendages could have developed without selector gene activity.
Casares
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Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, 701 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Mann
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RS
D000818:Animals; D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D005121:Extremities / Q000254:growth & development; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D017344:Genes, Insect; D016695:Glycosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000072100:Jagged-1 Protein; D008024:Ligands; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010641:Phenotype; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D012679:Sense Organs / Q000254:growth & development; D000072099:Serrate-Jagged Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors
D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein; C497974:Antp protein, Drosophila; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000072100:Jagged-1 Protein; D008024:Ligands; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C497759:N protein, Drosophila; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; C059627:Scr protein, Drosophila; C000606278:Ser protein, Drosophila; D000072099:Serrate-Jagged Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C064045:delta protein; C108704:hth protein, Drosophila; D016695:Glycosyltransferases; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; C090576:fng protein, Drosophila