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Anteroposterior Regionalization of the Brain: Genetic and Comparative Aspects

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Brain Development in Drosophila melanogaster

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 628))

Abstract

Developmental genetic analyses of embryonic CNS development in Drosophila have uncovered the role of key, high-order developmental control genes in anteroposterior regionalization of the brain. The gene families that have been characterized include the otd/Otx and ems/Emx genes which are involved in specification of the anterior brain, the Hox genes which are involved in the differentiation of the posterior brain and the Pax genes which are involved in the development of the anterior/posterior brain boundary zone. Taken together with work on the genetic control of mammalian CNS development, these findings indicate that all three gene sets have evolutionarily conserved roles in brain development, revealing a surprising evolutionary conservation in the molecular mechanisms of brain regionalization.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Robert Lichtneckert & Heinrich Reichert

Authors
  1. Robert Lichtneckert
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  2. Heinrich Reichert
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Genetics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

    Gerhard M. Technau PhD

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© 2008 Landes Bioscience and Springer Science+Business Media

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Lichtneckert, R., Reichert, H. (2008). Anteroposterior Regionalization of the Brain: Genetic and Comparative Aspects. In: Technau, G.M. (eds) Brain Development in Drosophila melanogaster . Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 628. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78261-4_2

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