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Updated: Feb 13, 2026
Ex vivo Culturing of Whole, Developing Drosophila Brains
Published on: July 27, 2012
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and Pax6 cooperate to inhibit in vivo reprogramming of the developing Drosophila eye
Jinjin Zhu1, Alison J Ordway1, Lena Weber1
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
Abstract:
How different cells and tissues commit to and determine their fates has been a central question in developmental biology since the seminal embryological experiments conducted by Wilhelm Roux and Hans Driesch in sea urchins and frogs. Here, we demonstrate that Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain Drosophila eye specification by suppressing the activation of alternative fate choices. The loss of PcG in the developing eye results in a cellular reprogramming event in which the eye is redirected to a wing fate. This fate transformation occurs with either the individual loss of Polycomb proteins or the simultaneous reduction of the Pleiohomeotic repressive complex and Pax6. Interestingly, the requirement for retinal selector genes is limited to Pax6, as the removal of more downstream members does not lead to the eye-wing transformation. We also show that distinct PcG complexes are required during different developmental windows throughout eye formation. These findings build on earlier observations that the eye can be reprogrammed to initiate head epidermis, antennal and leg development.
Insights
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain Drosophila eye cell fate by preventing alternative cell choices. Loss of PcG causes eye cells to reprogram into wing cells, revealing PcG
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell fate determination
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Cellular differentiation and fate determination are fundamental processes in developmental biology.
- Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are known epigenetic regulators involved in maintaining cell identity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of PcG proteins in maintaining Drosophila eye cell fate.
- To understand the mechanisms by which PcG proteins suppress alternative cell fate choices.
Main Methods:
- Genetic manipulation of PcG protein levels in developing Drosophila eyes.
- Analysis of cellular reprogramming and fate transformation using molecular markers.
- Investigating the role of specific genes, including Pax6, in the observed transformations.
Main Results:
- Loss of PcG proteins in Drosophila eyes leads to a reprogramming event, transforming eye cells into wing cells.
- This eye-to-wing fate transformation is triggered by the loss of PcG proteins, individually or in combination with Pax6.
- Retinal selector gene requirement is limited to Pax6; downstream genes are not essential for this transformation.
Conclusions:
- PcG proteins are crucial for maintaining Drosophila eye specification by repressing alternative cell fates.
- Distinct PcG complexes are required at different developmental stages of eye formation.
- These findings contribute to understanding cell fate plasticity and epigenetic control during development.
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