Homothorax switches function of Drosophila photoreceptors from color to polarized light sensors
- PMID: 14636555
- DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(03)00848-1
Homothorax switches function of Drosophila photoreceptors from color to polarized light sensors
Abstract
Different classes of photoreceptors (PRs) allow animals to perceive various types of visual information. In the Drosophila eye, the outer PRs of each ommatidium are involved in motion detection while the inner PRs mediate color vision. In addition, flies use a specialized class of inner PRs in the "dorsal rim area" of the eye (DRA) to detect the e-vector of polarized light, allowing them to exploit skylight polarization for orientation. We show that homothorax is both necessary and sufficient for inner PRs to adopt the polarization-sensitive DRA fate instead of the color-sensitive default state. Homothorax increases rhabdomere size and uncouples R7-R8 communication to allow both cells to express the same opsin rather than different ones as required for color vision. Homothorax expression is induced by the iroquois complex and the wingless (wg) pathway. However, crucial wg pathway components are not required, suggesting that additional signals are involved.
Similar articles
-
Homothorax and Extradenticle alter the transcription factor network in Drosophila ommatidia at the dorsal rim of the retina.Development. 2014 Feb;141(4):918-28. doi: 10.1242/dev.103127. Development. 2014. PMID: 24496628 Free PMC article.
-
Looking up: regional patterning in the fly eye.Dev Cell. 2003 Nov;5(5):665-6. doi: 10.1016/s1534-5807(03)00332-0. Dev Cell. 2003. PMID: 14602064
-
Anatomical Reconstruction and Functional Imaging Reveal an Ordered Array of Skylight Polarization Detectors in Drosophila.J Neurosci. 2016 May 11;36(19):5397-404. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0310-16.2016. J Neurosci. 2016. PMID: 27170135 Free PMC article.
-
The development and function of neuronal subtypes processing color and skylight polarization in the optic lobes of Drosophila melanogaster.Arthropod Struct Dev. 2021 Mar;61:101012. doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2020.101012. Epub 2021 Feb 19. Arthropod Struct Dev. 2021. PMID: 33618155 Review.
-
Signaling mechanisms in induction of the R7 photoreceptor in the developing Drosophila retina.Bioessays. 1994 Apr;16(4):237-44. doi: 10.1002/bies.950160406. Bioessays. 1994. PMID: 8031300 Review.
Cited by
-
The monarch butterfly genome yields insights into long-distance migration.Cell. 2011 Nov 23;147(5):1171-85. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.09.052. Cell. 2011. PMID: 22118469 Free PMC article.
-
The evolutionary diversity of insect retinal mosaics: common design principles and emerging molecular logic.Trends Genet. 2015 Jun;31(6):316-28. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2015.04.006. Epub 2015 May 26. Trends Genet. 2015. PMID: 26025917 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Connectomic reconstruction predicts the functional organization of visual inputs to the navigation center of the Drosophila brain.bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Nov 30:2023.11.29.569241. doi: 10.1101/2023.11.29.569241. bioRxiv. 2023. PMID: 38076786 Free PMC article. Preprint.
-
Alternative pathway of cell death in Drosophila mediated by NF-κB transcription factor Relish.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Mar 6;109(10):E605-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1110666109. Epub 2012 Feb 10. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012. PMID: 22328149 Free PMC article.
-
Medioapical contractile pulses coordinated between cells regulate Drosophila eye morphogenesis.J Cell Biol. 2024 Feb 5;223(2):e202304041. doi: 10.1083/jcb.202304041. Epub 2023 Dec 21. J Cell Biol. 2024. PMID: 38126997 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Molecular Biology Databases
