Combinatorial control of Drosophila eye development by eyeless, homothorax, and teashirt.
In Drosophila, the development of the compound eye depends on the movement of a morphogenetic furrow (MF) from the posterior (P) to the anterior (A) of the eye imaginal disc. We define several subdomains along the A-P axis of the eye disc that express distinct combinations of transcription factors. One subdomain, anterior to the MF, expresses two homeobox genes, eyeless (ey) and homothorax (hth), and the zinc-finger gene teashirt (tsh). We provide evidence that this combination of transcription factors may function as a complex and that it plays at least two roles in eye development: it blocks the expression of later-acting transcription factors in the eye development cascade, and it promotes cell proliferation. A key step in the transition from an immature proliferative state to a committed state in eye development is the repression of hth by the BMP-4 homolog Decapentaplegic (Dpp).
Bessa
Jose
J
Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), 4150-180 Porto, Portugal.
Gebelein
Brian
B
Pichaud
Franck
F
Casares
Fernando
F
Mann
Richard S
RS
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005123:Eye / Q000254:growth & development*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D017344:Genes, Insect; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007763:Lac Operon; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C103968:dac protein, Drosophila; C064196:dpp protein, Drosophila; C113278:ey protein, Drosophila; C092694:eya protein, Drosophila; C489235:hairy protein, Drosophila; C108704:hth protein, Drosophila; C061841:hairy protein, insect; C066830:tsh protein, Drosophila