Downstream of the homeotic genes

The homeotic genes of Drosophila melanogaster determine which structures form in each of the body segments. Disrupting the function of the homeotic genes causes body parts found in one domain of the animal to be replaced by body parts normally found elsewhere. Each of the homeotic genes encodes a protein, or a closely related family of proteins, which is capable of binding DNA and controlling the transcriptional activities of downstream genes. The homeotic genes are in the middle of a complex regulatory network, and many of the genes that control homeotic expression have been well characterized. However, very little is known about what comes after the homeotic genes, the downstream genes whose activities are regulated by the homeotic genes. Here, we review the known relationships between the homeotic proteins and the few identified target genes. The details of these interactions may be characteristic and may thus guide the search for additional targets.