Dorsoventral patterning in the Drosophila central nervous system: the intermediate neuroblasts defective homeobox gene specifies intermediate column identity.

ABSTRACT: One of the first steps in neurogenesis is the diversification of cells along the dorsoventral axis. In Drosophila the central nervous system develops from three longitudinal columns of cells: ventral cells that express the vnd/nk2 homeobox gene, intermediate cells, and dorsal cells that express the msh homeobox gene. Here we describe a new Drosophila homeobox gene, intermediate neuroblasts defective (ind), which is expressed specifically in the intermediate column cells. ind is essential for intermediate column development: Null mutants have a transformation of intermediate to dorsal column neuroectoderm fate, and only 10% of the intermediate column neuroblasts develop. The establishment of dorsoventral column identity involves negative regulation: Vnd represses ind in the ventral column,

SUBMITTER: Weiss JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC317240 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature