Growth and specification: fly Pax6 homologs eyegone and eyeless have distinct functions.
Development requires not only the correct specification of organs and cell types in the right places (pattern), but also the control of their size and shape (growth). Many signaling pathways control both pattern and growth and how these two are distinguished has been something of a mystery. In the fly eye, a Pax6 homolog (eyeless) controls eye specification together with several other genes. Now Dominguez et al.1 show that Notch signaling controls eye growth through a second Pax6 protein (Eyegone). In mice and humans the single Pax6 gene appears to encode both specification and growth controlling proteins through alternative mRNA splicing.
Rodrigues
Aloma B
AB
Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine. 615 Michael Street, Atlanta, GA 30322-3030, USA.
Moses
Kevin
K
D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D005136:Eye Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008954:Models, Biological; D000071841:PAX6 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D000071841:PAX6 Transcription Factor; C000605730:PAX6 protein, human; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C000605732:Pax6 protein, mouse; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C113278:ey protein, Drosophila; C477040:eyg protein, Drosophila