title: Regulation of ocellar specification and size by twin of eyeless and homothorax.
abstract: The retinal determination gene network (RDGN) constitutes a paradigm of a gene network controlling organ specification and growth. In this study, we probed the RDGN in the Drosophila ocelli, a set of simple eyes located on the fly's dorsal head, by studying the expression, regulation, and function of toy, hth, eya, and so, members of the Pax6, Meis, Eya, and Six gene families. Our results highlight the role of the pax6 gene toy, together with the hh signaling pathway, in the initiation of eya and so expression; the engagement of eya and so in a feedback loop necessary for their full expression; and the interplay between hh signaling and hth as a mechanism of organ size control, as general regulatory steps in the specification of visual organs.
authors.affiliation: Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), CSIC-UPO, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brockmann
authors.forename: María A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Cejudo
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amore
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Casares
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000502:physiology; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D009929:Organ Size / Q000235:genetics; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C087345:So protein, Drosophila; D015534:Trans-Activators; C092694:eya protein, Drosophila; C108704:hth protein, Drosophila; C118464:toy protein, Drosophila