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Updated: Jul 22, 2026
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Temporal Ordering of Dynamic Expression Data from Detailed Spatial Expression Maps
Published on: February 9, 2017
Temporal coordinates: the genes that fix cell fate with birth order
1Department of Anatomy, Cambridge University, United Kingdom.
Developmental Cell
|November 13, 2001
Summary
Drosophila neuroblasts use sequential transcription factors to determine progeny cell fates based on generation order. These "temporal coordinate genes" function similarly to spatial genes that define cell position.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Cell fate determination is crucial for development.
- Understanding the temporal regulation of cell fate is a key challenge in developmental biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize genes that control the temporal sequence of cell fate decisions in Drosophila neuroblasts.
- To propose a new nomenclature for genes involved in temporal patterning.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of gene expression patterns during Drosophila neuroblast development.
- Functional studies using genetic manipulations in Drosophila.
Main Results:
- Identified a set of four transcription factors sequentially expressed by Drosophila neuroblasts.
- Demonstrated that the order of expression of these factors dictates the fate of progeny cells.
- Proposed the term "temporal coordinate genes" for these sequentially expressed factors.
Conclusions:
- Sequential expression of transcription factors acts as a temporal code to specify cell fates in Drosophila neuroblasts.
- "Temporal coordinate genes" provide a framework for understanding temporal patterning in developmental processes.
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