TY - JOUR
T1 - Synergy between the hunchback and bicoid morphogens is required for anterior patterning in Drosophila
AU - Simpson-Brose, Marcia
AU - Treisman, Jessica
AU - Desplan, Claude
N1 - Funding Information:
We are very indebted to those who have allowed us to generate the mutant lines, in particular to Liz Gavis and Ruth Lehmann for providing us with the strains of flies carrying the nos gene at the anterior and to Robin Wharton and Gary Struhl for the bcd and hb genes lacking the NREs. Steve Cohen, Steve DiNardo, Ulrike Gaul, Herbert J&ckle, Ruth Lehmann, John Reinitz, Gary Struhl, Diethard Tautz, Ernst Wim-mer, and many others have contributed to this work with very stimulating discussions. Roman Burzynski provided very generous help with the computer processing of the figures. We are particularly grateful to Cathy Snook for her generous contributions to the genetic experiments. We also thank the members of the Desplan and DiNardo labs for providing the stimulating atmosphere around us and for providing useful comments on the manuscript. Their contribubon has been invaluable. This work was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Copyright:
Copyright 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1994/9/9
Y1 - 1994/9/9
N2 - Anterior patterning of the Drosophila embryo is specified by the localized expression of the gap genes, which is controlled by the gradient of the maternal morphogen bicoid (bcd). Another maternal component, hunchback (hb), can substitute for bcd in the thorax and abdomen. Here we show that hb is required for bcd to execute all of its functions. Removal of both maternal and zygotic hb produces embryos with disrupted polarity that fail to express all known bcd target genes correctly. Proper expression of hb and the head gap genes requires synergistic activation by hb and bcd. We propose that it is the combined activity of bcd and hb, and not bcd alone, that forms the morphogenetic gradient that specifies polarity along the embryonic axis and patterns the embryo. bcd may be a newly acquired Drosophila gene, which is gradually replacing some of the functions performed by maternal hb in other species.
AB - Anterior patterning of the Drosophila embryo is specified by the localized expression of the gap genes, which is controlled by the gradient of the maternal morphogen bicoid (bcd). Another maternal component, hunchback (hb), can substitute for bcd in the thorax and abdomen. Here we show that hb is required for bcd to execute all of its functions. Removal of both maternal and zygotic hb produces embryos with disrupted polarity that fail to express all known bcd target genes correctly. Proper expression of hb and the head gap genes requires synergistic activation by hb and bcd. We propose that it is the combined activity of bcd and hb, and not bcd alone, that forms the morphogenetic gradient that specifies polarity along the embryonic axis and patterns the embryo. bcd may be a newly acquired Drosophila gene, which is gradually replacing some of the functions performed by maternal hb in other species.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0092-8674(94)90622-X
DO - 10.1016/S0092-8674(94)90622-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 8087852
AN - SCOPUS:0028021851
SN - 0092-8674
VL - 78
SP - 855
EP - 865
JO - Cell
JF - Cell
IS - 5
ER -