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Dorsoventral patterning in the Drosophila retina by wingless
U Heberlein1, E R Borod, F A Chanut
1Gallo Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. ulrike@itsa.ucsf.edu
Development (Cambridge, England)
|April 4, 1998
Summary
Wingless (Wg) is crucial for establishing dorsal-ventral (D-V) patterning in the developing eye. It regulates gene expression and cell growth, ensuring proper retinal development and ommatidial rotation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The eye imaginal disc exhibits dorsal-ventral (D-V) and anterior-posterior polarity before differentiation.
- Ommatidial clusters rotate coordinately, forming an equator along the D-V midline, but the mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how D-V pattern is established in the eye imaginal disc.
- To understand the relationship between D-V patterning and ommatidial rotation.
Main Methods:
- Assayed asymmetric marker expression under conditions of ectopic differentiation (e.g., patched or wingless gene removal).
- Manipulated wingless expression to observe effects on D-V axis and related developmental events.
Main Results:
- D-V patterning develops gradually, with wingless playing a key role.
- Wingless is necessary and sufficient to induce dorsal expression of the 'mirror' gene and restrict WR122 marker expression.
- Wingless manipulation altered the D-V axis, initiation site, equator position, and epithelial growth patterns.
Conclusions:
- Wingless coordinates multiple events in D-V patterning of the developing retina.
- Understanding wingless function provides insights into retinal development and asymmetry.