Headless flies generated by developmental pathway interference.
Ectopic expression of transcription factors in eye-antennal discs of Drosophila strongly interferes with their developmental program. Early ectopic expression in embryonic discs interferes with the developmental pathway primed by Eyeless and generates headless flies, which suggests that Eyeless is necessary for initiating cell proliferation and development of both the eye and antennal disc. Interference occurs through a block in the cell cycle that for some ectopic transcription factors is overcome by D-CycE or D-Myc. Late ectopic expression in cone cell precursors interferes with their differentiation. We propose that this developmental pathway interference is a general surveillance mechanism that eliminates most aberrations in the genetic program during development and evolution, and thus seriously restricts the pathways that evolution may take.
Jiao
R
R
Institute for Molecular Biology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
Daube
M
M
Duan
H
H
Zou
Y
Y
Frei
E
E
Noll
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002455:Cell Division; D019927:Cyclin E / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000254:growth & development; D005123:Eye / Q000254:growth & development; D015870:Gene Expression; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D051762:PAX2 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; D010641:Phenotype; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
D019927:Cyclin E; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D051762:PAX2 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C073863:Poxn protein, Drosophila; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C113278:ey protein, Drosophila; C404810:gsb protein, Drosophila