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Expression of Pax group III genes in the honeybee (Apis mellifera)

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Abstract

Pax group III genes are involved in a number of processes during insect segmentation. In Drosophila melanogaster, three genes, paired, gooseberry and gooseberry-neuro, regulate segmental patterning of the epidermis and nervous system. Paired acts as a pair-rule gene and gooseberry as a segment polarity gene. Studies of Pax group III genes in other insects have indicated that their expression is a good marker for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of segmentation. We have cloned three Pax group III genes from the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and examined their relationships to other insect Pax group III genes and their expression patterns during honeybee segmentation. The expression pattern of the honeybee homologue of paired is similar to that of paired in Drosophila, but its expression is modulated by anterior–posterior temporal patterning similar to the expression of Pax group III proteins in Tribolium. The expression of the other two Pax group III genes in the honeybee indicates that they also act in segmentation and nervous system development, as do these genes in other insects.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Elaine Emmerson for technical support and Melanie Havler, Hanna Leslie and Victoria Dearden for critical readings of this manuscript. The anti-engrailed monoclonal antibody developed by Corey Goodman was obtained from the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank developed under the auspices of the NICHD and maintained by The University of Iowa, Department of Biological Sciences, Iowa City, IA 52242. This work was supported by a University of Otago Research Grant and a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden fund Grant (UOO0401).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Development and Evolution, Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Peter W. Osborne & Peter K. Dearden

  2. Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Peter K. Dearden

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  1. Peter W. Osborne
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  2. Peter K. Dearden
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Correspondence to Peter K. Dearden.

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Communicated by Communicated by P. Simpson.

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Osborne, P.W., Dearden, P.K. Expression of Pax group III genes in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Dev Genes Evol 215, 499–508 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-005-0008-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-005-0008-9

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