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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Laser Microdissection Applied to Gene Expression Profiling of Subset of Cells from the Drosophila Wing Disc
Published on: April 30, 2010
spalt is functionally conserved in Locusta and Drosophila to promote wing growth
Dan Wang1, Juanjuan Li1, Suning Liu1
1Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Abstract:
Locusta has strong fly wings to ensure its long distance migration, but the molecular mechanism that regulates the Locusta wing development is poorly understood. To address the developmental mechanism of the Locusta flying wing, we cloned the Dpp target gene spalt (sal) and analyzed its function in wing growth in the Locusta. The Locusta wing size is apparently reduced with vein defects when sal is interfered by injection of dsRNA, indicating that sal is required for locust wing growth and vein formation. This function is conserved during the Drosophila wing development. To better understand sal's function in wing growth, we then used Drosophila wing disc as a model for further study. We found that sal promotes cell proliferation in the whole wing disc via positive regulation of a microRNA bantam. Our results firstly unravel sal's function in the Locusta wing growth and confirm a highly conserved function of sal in Locusta and Drosophila.
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