A Screen for Genes That Interact With the Drosophila Pair-Rule Segmentation Gene fushi tarazu

We report the first attempt of its kind to study genetic interactions using young Drosophila embryos that are mosaic for wildtype and mutant cells. Using nuclear transplantation we make mosaic embryos in which a patch of cells lacks a particular segmentation gene, A. With antibodies, we than look at the expression of another gene that is known to be downstream of gene A, with respect to the cells in the patch. We have examples of patches of hairy cells (where we monitor the effect on fushi tarazu (ftz) expression), even-skipped (monitoring ftz) and ftz (monitoring engrailed and Ultrabithorax). Our main finding is that the dependence of engrailed expression on the ftz gene is strictly cell-autonomous. This result goes some way towards explaining the dependence of Ultrabithorax expression on ftz, a dependence we show to be locally cell-autonomous within parts of parasegments 6 and 8 but non autonomous within parasegment 7.

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Microevolution of cis-Regulatory Elements: An Example from the Pair-Rule Segmentation Gene fushi tarazu in the Drosophila melanogaster Subgroup

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0027376 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (11) ◽

pp. e27376 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mohammed Bakkali

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Fushi Tarazu ◽

Segmentation Gene ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster Subgroup ◽

Pair Rule

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The evolving role of the orphan nuclear receptorftz-f1, a pair-rule segmentation gene

Evolution & Development ◽

10.1111/ede.12050 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 406-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Alison Heffer ◽

Nathaniel Grubbs ◽

James Mahaffey ◽

Leslie Pick

Keyword(s):

Segmentation Gene ◽

Pair Rule

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Interactions between the pair-rule genes runt, hairy, even-skipped and fushi tarazu and the establishment of periodic pattern in the Drosophila embryo

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.104.supplement.51 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 104 (Supplement) ◽

pp. 51-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Philip Ingham ◽

Peter Gergen

Keyword(s):

Double Mutant ◽

Early Embryo ◽

Drosophila Embryo ◽

Periodic Pattern ◽

Fushi Tarazu ◽

Blastoderm Stage ◽

Pair Rule

The pair-rule genes of Drosophila play a fundamental role in the generation of periodicity in the early embryo. We have analysed the transcript distributions of runt, hairy, even-skipped and fushi tarazu in single and double mutant ernbryos. The results indicate a complex set of interactions between the genes during the blastoderm stage of embryogenesis.

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The pattern of cell death in fushi tarazu, a segmentation gene of Drosophila

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.104.3.447 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 104 (3) ◽

pp. 447-451 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L. Magrassi ◽

P.A. Lawrence

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Wild Type ◽

Germ Band ◽

Fushi Tarazu ◽

Larval Cuticle ◽

Dividing Cells ◽

In The Wild ◽

Indirect Consequence ◽

Dying Cells ◽

Pair Rule

The pair-rule mutant, fushi tarazu, causes deletion of alternate metameres. Here we show that there is cell death in the mutant which begins at the completion of germ band extension. We map the dying cells in the epidermis; they occur scattered all over those regions that, in the wild type, would form the even-numbered parasegments and are also found in posterior parts of the odd-numbered parasegments. In the affected zones, dying and dividing cells are intermingled; we suggest that cells from these zones may still give descendents that contribute to the larval cuticle. Cell death is not limited to those cells that would normally express ftz+, suggesting that it is some indirect consequence of the abnormal situation in the mutant embryo.

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Transcriptional regulation of cytoskeletal functions and segmentation by a novel maternal pair-rule gene, lilliputian

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.128.5.801 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 128 (5) ◽

pp. 801-813 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

A.H. Tang ◽

T.P. Neufeld ◽

G.M. Rubin ◽

H.A. Muller

Keyword(s):

Transcriptional Control ◽

Fragile X ◽

Transcriptional Regulator ◽

Regulator Gene ◽

Embryonic Patterning ◽

Fushi Tarazu ◽

Fragile X Mental Retardation ◽

Pair Rule Gene ◽

Mutant Phenotypes ◽

Pair Rule

Transcriptional control during early Drosophila development is governed by maternal and zygotic factors. We have identified a novel maternal transcriptional regulator gene, lilliputian (lilli), which contains an HMG1 (AT-hook) motif and a domain with similarity to the human fragile X mental retardation FMR2 protein and the AF4 proto-oncoprotein. Embryos lacking maternal lilli expression show specific defects in the establishment of a functional cytoskeleton during cellularization, and exhibit a pair-rule segmentation phenotype. These mutant phenotypes correlate with markedly reduced expression of the early zygotic genes serendipity alpha, fushi tarazu and huckebein, which are essential for cellularization and embryonic patterning. In addition, loss of lilli in adult photoreceptor and bristle cells results in a significant decrease in cell size. Our results indicate that lilli represents a novel pair-rule gene that acts in cytoskeleton regulation, segmentation and morphogenesis.

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