The arthropods display a wide range of morphological diversity, varying tagmosis, as well as other aspects of the body plan, such as appendage and cuticular morphology. Here we review the roles of developmental regulatory genes in the evolution of arthropod morphology, with an emphasis on what is known from morphologically diverse species. Examination of tagmatic evolution reveals that these ch...

We have generated wing disc compartments that contain marked fast growing M+ clones surrounded by slow dividing M/+ cells. Under these conditions the interactions between fast and slow dividing cells at the clone borders frequently lead to cell competition. However, our assay suppressing apoptosis indicates that cell competition plays no major role in size control. We argue that cells within a ...

Drosophila is by far the most advanced model to understand the complex biochemical interactions upon which circadian clocks rely. Most of the genes that have been characterized so far were isolated through genetic screens using the locomotor activity rhythms of the adults as a circadian output. In addition, new techniques are available to deregulate gene expression in specific cells, allowing t...

T IS almost axiomatic in studies of developmental genetics that the action I of a particular gene cannot be described completely without reference to the residual genotype or “general genic environment” (term proposed by TSCHETWERIKOFF 1926). It is also generally agreed that “all factors probably partake of the nature of modifiers, since each factor appears to affect many characters and to alte...

The homeo box, which encodes the DNA-binding homeo domain, is a DNA sequence motif present in several Drosophila developmental genes; it has been used to identify many homologous genes involved in mammalian development. The paired box is another conserved sequence motif, first identified in the paired (prd) and gooseberry (gsb) Drosophila homeo domain genes. It encodes a 128-amino-acid domain, ...

Background: It is known that acetylation level of the nuclear histones in cloned embryos is lower compare to normally developed embryos. Histone deacetylas inhibitors (HDACi) with improvement of acetylation level in these embryos can affect embryo quality in pre-implantation stage and expression level of different genes especially developmental genes. Materials and Methods: In this research, SA...

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disorder in women. The abnormalities of endocrine and intra-ovarian paracrine interactions may change the microenvironment for oocyte development during the folliculogenesis process and reduce the developmental competence of oocytes in PCOS patients who are suffering from anovulatory infertility and pregnancy loss....