Genes involved in the development of the peripheral nervous system of Drosophila

The development of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) requires the activity of a number of genes. The neurogenic and the proneural genes are necessary in the earliest phase; their mutations lead to hyperplasia and partial or total elimination of the PNS respectively. Some of these mutations also affect other developmental processes. Other mutations affect later events: cut transforms one type of sensory organ into another; numb alters the fate of the components of a single sensory organ. We will describe the effects of the best studied mutations on PNS development and discuss the possible role of the wild type genes.