Cross-phylum regulatory potential of the ascidian Otx gene in brain development in Drosophila melanogaster

The origin of molecular mechanisms of cephalic development is an intriguing question in evolutionary and developmental biology. Ascidians, positioned near the origin of the phylum Chordata, share a conserved set of anteroposterior patterning genes with vertebrates. Here we report the cross-phylum re...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development genes and evolution 2001-06, Vol.211 (6), p.269-280
Main Authors: Adachi, Y, Nagao, T, Saiga, H, Furukubo-Tokunaga, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Brain
Brain - embryology
Chordata
Crosses, Genetic
Developmental biology
Drosophila
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster - embryology
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Embryogenesis
Evolution
Evolution & development
Evolutionary genetics
Female
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Gene silencing
Genes
Genes, Dominant
Head
Homeodomain Proteins - genetics
Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
In Situ Hybridization
Insects
Male
Marine
Molecular modelling
Molecular Sequence Data
Mutation
Nerves
Orthodenticle (otd) gene
otd gene
Otx gene
Otx Transcription Factors
Pattern formation
Phenotype
Phylogeny
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Transcription activation
Transformation, Genetic
Urochordata - genetics
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The origin of molecular mechanisms of cephalic development is an intriguing question in evolutionary and developmental biology. Ascidians, positioned near the origin of the phylum Chordata, share a conserved set of anteroposterior patterning genes with vertebrates. Here we report the cross-phylum regulatory potential of the ascidian Otx gene in the development of the Drosophila brain and the head vertex structures. The ascidian Otx gene rescued the embryonic brain defect caused by a null mutation of the Drosophila orthodenticle (otd) gene and enhanced rostral brain development while it suppressed trunk nerve cord formation. Furthermore, the ascidian Otx gene restored the head vertex defects caused by a viable otd mutation, ocelliless, via specific activation and repression of downstream regulatory genes. These cross-phylum regulatory potentials of the ascidian Otx gene are equivalent to the activities of the Drosophila and human otd/Otx genes in these developmental processes. These results support the notion that basal chordates such as ascidians have the same molecular patterning mechanism for the anterior structures found in higher chordates, and suggest a common genetic program of cephalic development in invertebrate, protochordate and vertebrate.
ISSN:0949-944X
1432-041X
DOI:10.1007/s004270100149