Proximal-distal leg development in Drosophila requires the apterous gene and the Lim1 homologue dlim1

• Published in: Development (Cambridge) Vol. 127; no. 24; pp. 5391 - 5402
• Main Authors: Pueyo, J I, Galindo, M I, Bishop, S A, Couso, J P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Company of Biologists Limited 15.12.2000
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; apterous (ap) gene; aristaless gene; bar gene; Base Sequence; Body Patterning - genetics; dlim1 gene; DNA Primers - genetics; DNA, Complementary - genetics; Drosophila; Drosophila - genetics; Drosophila - growth & development; Drosophila Proteins; Enhancer Elements, Genetic; Extremities - growth & development; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Genes, Homeobox; Genes, Insect; Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; In Situ Hybridization; LIM domain proteins; LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Transcription Factors - genetics; Vertebrates; Zyxin
• ISSN: 0950-1991; 1477-9129
• DOI: 10.1242/dev.127.24.5391

Proximal-distal leg development in Drosophila involves a battery of genes expressed and required in specific proximal-distal (PD) domains of the appendage. Here we report the characterisation of a new gene of this type, dlim1, a member of the Lhx family of genes whose proteins contain two Lim domains and a homeodomain. We show that the Lhx gene apterous (ap) is also required for PD leg development, and we study the functional interactions between ap, dlim1 and other PD genes during leg development. Our results show that a regulatory network formed by ap and dlim1 plus the homeobox genes aristaless and Bar specifies distal leg cell fates in Drosophila.