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Specification of the wing by localized expression of wingless protein

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Abstract

LIMB development in Drosophila depends on subdivision of the limb primordia into functional units called compartments1–4. Cell interactions across compartment boundaries establish pattern-organizing centres that control growth and specify cell fates along the anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) axes of the limbs2,3,5–9. AP subdivision of the disc primordia is inherited from the embryonic ectoderm10. DV subdivision of the wing disc occurs during the second larval instar through localized expression of the apterous protein (Apterous) in dorsal cells2,11. A third major subdivision of the wing disc into wing and body-wall compartments also occurs in the second instar1. Here we show that specification of the wing primordium in early second instar depends on activity of the AP patterning system but not the DV system. These results define two distinct roles for the wingless gene: a primary role in specifying the wing primordium, and a subsequent role mediating the patterning activities of the DV compartment boundary9,12,13.

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Author notes

  1. Jean-Paul Vincent: Laboratory for Molecular Biology, Medical Research Council, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK

  2. Jun Wu: Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Postfach 10.2209, 69012, Heidelberg, Germany

    Medard Ng, Fernando J. Diaz-Benjumea, Jean-Paul Vincent, Jun Wu & Stephen M. Cohen

Authors
  1. Medard Ng
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  2. Fernando J. Diaz-Benjumea
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  3. Jean-Paul Vincent
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  4. Jun Wu
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  5. Stephen M. Cohen
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Ng, M., Diaz-Benjumea, F., Vincent, JP. et al. Specification of the wing by localized expression of wingless protein. Nature 381, 316–318 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/381316a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/381316a0

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