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The specification of sensory neuron identity in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Ghysen Alain,
DamblyChaudière Christine
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950150502
Subject(s) - biology , gene , sense organ , nervous system , sensory system , neuroscience , drosophila (subgenus) , genetics , computational biology , anatomy
Different types of sense organs are present on the larva of Drosophila . Several genes that specify the type of sense organ that will form at a particular position have been recently identified. Here we review the functional and molecular analyses of these genes, and summarize the evidence which supports a role in the choice of which type of organ will be formed. Most or all of these genes are required for the appropriate specification of adult as well as larval sense organs, suggesting that the larval and adult systems share many gene requirements. Interestingly, the specifying genes identified so far in the peripheral nervous system are also expressed in subsets of cells in the central nervous system, where they might have similar roles.