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Senseless is required for pupal retinal development in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Frankfort Benjamin J.,
Pepple Kathryn L.,
Mamlouk Mark,
Rose Matthew F.,
Mardon Graeme
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/gene.20018
Subject(s) - bristle , proneural genes , biology , pupa , drosophila (subgenus) , transcription factor , gene , mesoderm , retinal , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , larva , botany , embryonic stem cell , brush , electrical engineering , engineering
Summary: Drosophila sensory organs are specified by a family of proneural genes which induce the expression of several common targets. One such target is senseless , which encodes a zinc finger transcription factor. We analyzed the function of senseless during pupal retinal development and found that senseless is required for recruitment of both cone and pigment cells, the pupal‐derived ommatidial support cells. We also found that Senseless is expressed in neural precursors shortly after the larval–pupal transition and is both necessary and sufficient for interommatidial bristle development. Furthermore, senseless is the primary target of achaete and scute during interommatidial bristle development. We also identified several differences between the development of interommatidial bristles and other macrochaete. In particular, EGFR signaling is not required for interommatidial bristle development, nor is positive feedback regulation of proneural genes by senseless . A model for interommatidial bristle specification is presented. genesis 38:182–194, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.