The evolution of dorsal–ventral patterning mechanisms in insects
Abstract
The gene regulatory network (GRN) underpinning dorsal–ventral (DV) patterning of the Drosophila embryo is among the most thoroughly understood GRNs, making it an ideal system for comparative studies seeking to understand the evolution of development. With the emergence of widely applicable techniques for testing gene function, species with sequenced genomes, and multiple tractable species with diverse developmental modes, a phylogenetically broad and molecularly deep understanding of the evolution of DV axis formation in insects is feasible. Here, we review recent progress made in this field, compare our emerging molecular understanding to classical embryological experiments, and suggest future directions of inquiry.
Keywords
Footnotes
-
↵1 Corresponding author.
E-MAIL siegfried.roth{at}uni-koeln.de; FAX 49-0221-4705164.
-
Article is online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.2010711.
- Copyright © 2011 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press