Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026
12:59
Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
Published on: February 28, 2021
Hox genes regulate muscle founder cell pattern autonomously and regulate morphogenesis through motor neurons.
Devkanya Dutta1, M Umashankar, Edward B Lewis
1National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065,India.
Journal of Neurogenetics
|July 10, 2010
Summary
Drosophila segment identity, directed by Hox genes, guides muscle development. Ectoderm and mesoderm identities collaborate, with ectoderm influencing mesoderm properties and mesoderm autonomously selecting muscle founder cells.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Muscle fiber differentiation involves mesoderm-ectoderm interactions.
- Segment identity plays a crucial role in directing these interactions during development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Hox genes in patterning adult muscles in Drosophila.
- To understand how ectoderm and mesoderm segment identities collaborate to direct muscle differentiation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the 'four-winged fly' model to manipulate Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene function in the ectoderm.
- Examining the effects of altered ectodermal identity on mesoderm properties like myoblast number, molecular diversity, and migration.
- Investigating the role of Antennapedia (Antp) gene function in the mesoderm.
- Altering Ultrabithorax gene expression in motor neurons to assess nervous system involvement.
Main Results:
- Altering the ectoderm's segment identity (T3 to T2) was sufficient to change mesoderm properties to a T2 pattern.
- Mesoderm autonomous identity is critical for selecting muscle founder cells.
- Removal of Antennapedia function in the mesoderm transformed founder cells to a T2 pattern.
- Nervous system manipulation revealed its role in later muscle morphogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Ectoderm and mesoderm segment identities cooperate to direct muscle differentiation.
- Each germ layer influences distinct aspects of myogenesis.
- Hox genes are key regulators of segment identity in muscle patterning.
Related Concept Videos
02:23Master Transcription Regulators
Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
02:33Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...
01:13Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts
De novo myogenesis, or the formation of muscle fibers, begins during the early embryonic stages. The skeletal muscle is formed from somites– blocks of embryonic cell layers. The somites are further divided into dermatomes, myotomes, sclerotomes, and syndetomes. Among these, the myotomes give rise to muscle fibers.
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription factors...
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription factors...
01:29Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
01:30General Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
01:33Pleiotropy
Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...