Journal article

Genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying the formation of the Drosophila compound eye

    15.12.2011
Published in:
  • Developmental Dynamics. - 2012, vol. 241, no. 1, p. 40–56
English The compound eye of Drosophila melanogaster consists of individual subunits (“ommatidia”), each containing photoreceptors and support cells. These cells derive from an undifferentiated epithelium in the eye imaginal disc and their differentiation follows a highly stereotypic pattern. Sequential commitment of pluripotent cells to become specialized cells of the visual system serves as a unique model system to study basic mechanisms of tissue development. In the past years, many regulatory genes that govern the development of the compound eye have been identified and their mode of action genetically dissected. Transcription factor networks in combination with cell–cell signalling pathways regulate the development of the eye tissue in a precise temporal and spatial manner. Here, we review the recent advances on how a single-cell-layered epithelium is patterned to give rise to the compound eye. We discuss the molecular pathways controlling differentiation of individual photoreceptors, through which they acquire their functional specificity.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Biologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Biological sciences
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/302571
Statistics

Document views: 40 File downloads:
  • spr_gdm.pdf: 112