title: Proximal-distal pattern formation inDrosophila: graded requirement forDistal-less gene activity during limb development.
abstract: The development of all of the adult limbs inDrosophila depends upon the activity of theDistal-less gene. We report here the phenotypic characterization of a number of hypomorphicDistal-less alleles which indicates that there is a graded requirement forDistal-less activity in the developing limbs. Previous analysis of genetically mosaic animals indicated that cells in the early primordia of the limb imaginal dises possess a graded proximal-distal positional information which depends on the presence of theDistal-less gene for its expression. Taken together these data suggest thatDistal-less may directly encode the graded positional information that is required to organise the proximal-distal axis of the developing limbs.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Genetik und Mikrobiologie, Universität München, Maria-Ward-St. 1 A, D-8000, München 19, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Institut für Genetik und Mikrobiologie, Universität München, Maria-Ward-St. 1 A, D-8000, München 19, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jürgens
keywords: Distal less; Drosophila; Limb development