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Dissection and Immunofluorescent Staining of Mushroom Body and Photoreceptor Neurons in Adult Drosophila melanogaster Brains
Published on: November 6, 2017
Hox genes and brain development in Drosophila
Heinrich Reichert1, Bruno Bello
1Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland. heinrich.reichert@unibas.ch
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|August 28, 2010
Summary
Hox genes establish neuronal identity in the developing Drosophila brain. Later, they trigger cell death in neuroblasts, halting neural proliferation via epigenetic control, a conserved mechanism also seen in vertebrates.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Hox genes are crucial for body plan formation and neuronal development in Drosophila.
- Their roles in embryonic and postembryonic brain development are distinct.
- Epigenetic regulation, involving Polycomb group genes, is implicated in their postembryonic functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the function of Hox genes in Drosophila brain development.
- To investigate the mechanisms controlling Hox gene expression and action.
- To explore the evolutionary conservation of Hox gene functions in brain development.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analyses of Hox gene mutants in Drosophila.
- Examination of gene expression patterns and regulatory interactions.
- Investigation of epigenetic mechanisms controlling gene reactivation.
Main Results:
- Hox genes labial and Deformed are essential for neuronal identity in the embryonic brain.
- Hox gene expression in the embryonic brain is regulated by cross-regulatory interactions.
- In postembryonic development, Hox gene reactivation induces apoptosis in neuroblasts, terminating neural proliferation.
- Polycomb group genes are required for this epigenetic control.
Conclusions:
- Hox genes play dual roles in Drosophila brain development: establishing identity and controlling proliferation.
- Epigenetic mechanisms are critical for regulating Hox gene function in postembryonic neurogenesis.
- Hox gene functions in brain development are evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates.
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