Abstract
Background Arthropod diversity is apparent in the variations in limb number, type, and position along the body axis. Among the insects, for example, butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) develop larval abdominal and caudal appendages ('prolegs'), whereas flies (Diptera) do not. Comparative studies of the expression and regulation during development of limb-patterning genes, such as Distal-less (Dll), may provide insights into arthropod evolution. Results We report the cloning of a Dll homolog from the butterfly Precis coenia, and present data showing that it is expressed in all developing limbs (except the mandible), including the prolegs; the relationship between Dll and wingless expression observed in Drosophila is conserved in Precis among all limbs. However, Dll is deployed in distinct spatial and temporal patterns within each limp type. Conclusion These data suggest that Dll function, suppressed in the abdomen early in insect evolution, has been derepressed in Lepidoptera, and also suggest that there is a common mechanism underlying the formation of all insect appendages. The limb-type-specific patterns of Dll expression (and its exclusion from the mandible) indicate that regulation of Dll expression may be critical to limb morphology, and are inconsistent with Dll functioning in a simple distal-to-proximal concentration gradient.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 671-675 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Current Biology |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1994 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
Cite this
The role of the Distal-less gene in the development and evolution of insect limbs. / Panganiban, Grace; Nagy, Lisa M; Carroll, Sean B.
In: Current Biology, Vol. 4, No. 8, 1994, p. 671-675.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of the Distal-less gene in the development and evolution of insect limbs
AU - Panganiban, Grace
AU - Nagy, Lisa M
AU - Carroll, Sean B.
PY - 1994
Y1 - 1994
N2 - Background Arthropod diversity is apparent in the variations in limb number, type, and position along the body axis. Among the insects, for example, butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) develop larval abdominal and caudal appendages ('prolegs'), whereas flies (Diptera) do not. Comparative studies of the expression and regulation during development of limb-patterning genes, such as Distal-less (Dll), may provide insights into arthropod evolution. Results We report the cloning of a Dll homolog from the butterfly Precis coenia, and present data showing that it is expressed in all developing limbs (except the mandible), including the prolegs; the relationship between Dll and wingless expression observed in Drosophila is conserved in Precis among all limbs. However, Dll is deployed in distinct spatial and temporal patterns within each limp type. Conclusion These data suggest that Dll function, suppressed in the abdomen early in insect evolution, has been derepressed in Lepidoptera, and also suggest that there is a common mechanism underlying the formation of all insect appendages. The limb-type-specific patterns of Dll expression (and its exclusion from the mandible) indicate that regulation of Dll expression may be critical to limb morphology, and are inconsistent with Dll functioning in a simple distal-to-proximal concentration gradient.
AB - Background Arthropod diversity is apparent in the variations in limb number, type, and position along the body axis. Among the insects, for example, butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) develop larval abdominal and caudal appendages ('prolegs'), whereas flies (Diptera) do not. Comparative studies of the expression and regulation during development of limb-patterning genes, such as Distal-less (Dll), may provide insights into arthropod evolution. Results We report the cloning of a Dll homolog from the butterfly Precis coenia, and present data showing that it is expressed in all developing limbs (except the mandible), including the prolegs; the relationship between Dll and wingless expression observed in Drosophila is conserved in Precis among all limbs. However, Dll is deployed in distinct spatial and temporal patterns within each limp type. Conclusion These data suggest that Dll function, suppressed in the abdomen early in insect evolution, has been derepressed in Lepidoptera, and also suggest that there is a common mechanism underlying the formation of all insect appendages. The limb-type-specific patterns of Dll expression (and its exclusion from the mandible) indicate that regulation of Dll expression may be critical to limb morphology, and are inconsistent with Dll functioning in a simple distal-to-proximal concentration gradient.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0028485240&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0960-9822(00)00151-2
DO - 10.1016/S0960-9822(00)00151-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 7953552
AN - SCOPUS:0028485240
VL - 4
SP - 671
EP - 675
JO - Current Biology
JF - Current Biology
SN - 0960-9822
IS - 8
ER -