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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Visualization of the Axonal Projection Pattern of Embryonic Motor Neurons in Drosophila
Published on: June 16, 2017
The Beat generation: a multigene family encoding IgSF proteins related to the Beat axon guidance molecule in
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, 519 LSA, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. gctp@hamon.swmed.edu
Abstract:
A previous genetic screen led to the identification of the beaten path (beat Ia) gene in Drosophila. Beat Ia contains two immunoglobulin (Ig) domains and appears to function as an anti-adhesive factor secreted by specific growth cones to promote axon defasciculation. We identify a family of 14 beat-like genes in Drosophila. In contrast to beat Ia, four novel Beat-family genes encode membrane-bound proteins. Moreover, mutations in each gene lead to much more subtle guidance phenotypes than observed in beat Ia. Genetic interactions between beat Ic and beat Ia reveal complementary functions. Our data suggest a model whereby Beat Ic (and perhaps other membrane-bound family members) functions in a pro-adhesive fashion to regulate fasciculation, while Beat Ia (the original secreted Beat) functions in an anti-adhesive fashion to regulate defasciculation.
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