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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages

Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages

Published on: June 2, 2020

Evolution of insect dorsoventral patterning mechanisms.

M W Perry¹, J D Cande, A N Boettiger

¹Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA.

Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology

|October 22, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Dorsal, a key transcription factor, patterns Drosophila embryos by regulating gene expression through enhancers. Conserved enhancers and "shadow" enhancers contribute to gene expression robustness and evolutionary adaptation.

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Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Genetics
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Dorsoventral (DV) patterning in early Drosophila embryos relies on the maternal transcription factor Dorsal.
Dorsal regulates approximately 50 target genes in a concentration-dependent manner to establish DV polarity.
Understanding Dorsal's regulatory mechanisms is crucial for insights into developmental gene regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the nature and function of Dorsal target enhancers.
To explore the role of conserved enhancers and "shadow" enhancers in gene regulation.
To examine the role of RNA polymerase II (pol II) stalling in Dorsal target gene activation.

Main Methods:

ChIP-chip and ChIP-seq assays to identify Dorsal target enhancers genome-wide.
Transgenic embryo assays to experimentally validate enhancer function.
Analysis of RNA polymerase II occupancy in Dorsal target genes.

Main Results:

Approximately 100 Dorsal target enhancers identified, with over a third experimentally confirmed.
Conserved positions of some Dorsal enhancers across insect species suggest evolutionary modification of existing enhancers.
Presence of "shadow" enhancers in up to half of Dorsal target genes, potentially enhancing expression resilience.
Most Dorsal target genes exhibit pre-activation RNA polymerase II (pol II) stalling, promoting synchronous gene activation.

Conclusions:

Evolution of gene expression patterns may involve modification of ancestral enhancers.
"Shadow" enhancers may confer robustness to gene expression against perturbations.
Stalled pol II likely ensures coordinated gene network deployment for embryonic development, enhancing population fitness.