title: Dual role for Hox genes and Hox co-factors in conferring leg motoneuron survival and identity in Drosophila.
abstract: Adult Drosophila walk using six multi-jointed legs, each controlled by ∼50 leg motoneurons (MNs). Although MNs have stereotyped morphologies, little is known about how they are specified. Here, we describe the function of Hox genes and homothorax (hth), which encodes a Hox co-factor, in Drosophila leg MN development. Removing either Hox or Hth function from a single neuroblast (NB) lineage results in MN apoptosis. A single Hox gene, Antennapedia (Antp), is primarily responsible for MN survival in all three thoracic segments. When cell death is blocked, partially penetrant axon branching errors are observed in Hox mutant MNs. When single MNs are mutant, errors in both dendritic and axon arborizations are observed. Our data also suggest that Antp levels in post-mitotic MNs are important for specifying their identities. Thus, in addition to being essential for survival, Hox and hth are required to specify accurate MN morphologies in a level-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, 701 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Myungin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Enriquez
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002470:Cell Survival; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005121:Extremities / Q000254:growth & development*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008938:Mitosis; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein; C497974:Antp protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C066177:Ubx protein, Drosophila; C108704:hth protein, Drosophila
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