Matthew P. Scott
Publication Details
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Homoeotic gene transcripts in the neural tissue of insects
Trends in Neurosciences. 1984; (7): 221-223
Homoeotic mutations, studied primarily in the fruit fly Drosophila, transform one body segment or part into another. The molecular analysis of some of the genes in which such mutations occur has led to the surprising finding that the most abundant, though not exclusive, accumulation of homoeotic gene RNA transcripts is in neural tissue. The transcripts are localized specifically in certain ganglia, corresponding to the body segments which previous genetic and developmental studies had shown to be the sites of gene function. The questions now being asked are how is the positional specificity of transcription achieved and how does the expression of homoeotic genes guide particular tissues into particular developmental pathways?
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