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Maternal and zygotic requirement for thepolyhomeotic complex genetic locus inDrosophila

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Summary

The complex genetic locuspolyhomeotic (ph) is a member of thePolycomb (Pc)-group of genes and as such is required for the normal expression of ANT-C and BX-C genes. It also has probably other functions since amorphicph alleles display a cell death phenotype in the ventral epidermis of 12-h-old embryos. Here it is shown that lethal alleles ofph (amorph and strong hypomorph) show transformation of most of their segments towards AB8. Theph + product is required autonomously in imaginal cells. The total lack ofph + function prevents viability of the cuticular derivatives of these cells.ph has a strong maternal effect on segmental identity and epidermal development that can not be rescued by one paternally supplied dose ofph + in the zygote. These phenotypes differ substantially from those of previously describedPc-group genes. AmongPc-group genes,ph seems to be the only one that is strongly required both maternally and zygotically for normal embryonic development.

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Author notes

  1. Hugh W. Brock

    Present address: Dept. of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, V6T 2A9, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, C.N.R.S., F-91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Jean-Maurice Dura, Janet Deatrick, Neel B. Randsholt, Hugh W. Brock & Pedro Santamaria

  2. Laboratoire propre du C.N.R.S., associé à l'Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI, France

    Jean-Maurice Dura, Janet Deatrick, Neel B. Randsholt, Hugh W. Brock & Pedro Santamaria

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  1. Jean-Maurice Dura
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  2. Janet Deatrick
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  3. Neel B. Randsholt
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  4. Hugh W. Brock
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  5. Pedro Santamaria
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Dura, JM., Deatrick, J., Randsholt, N.B. et al. Maternal and zygotic requirement for thepolyhomeotic complex genetic locus inDrosophila . Roux’s Arch Dev Biol 197, 239–246 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02439431

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02439431

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