›› 2013, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (8): 917-924.

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The main processes and molecular mechanisms of wing disc development and differentiation in Drosophila

OU Jun, ZHENG Si-Chun, FENG Qi-Li, LIU Lin*   

  1. (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China)
  • Online:2013-08-20 Published:2013-08-20

Abstract: The development and differentiation of wing disc is closely related with the ontogeny of insects, and the study on wing disc is helpful to understand the development of insects. Pests with the ability of flight can cause great loss to agriculture and forestry every year, so the study on the development and differentiation of their wing may help to find new targets to control them. The development and differentiation of wing disc in Drosophila was well elucidated. It includes four main processes: definition of wing disc, establishment of A-P and D-V organizing centers, definition of wing region, and differentiation of wing region. Homeobox genes [such as engrailed (En), apterous (Ap), and Ultrabithorax (Ubx)], secretory proteins [such as Wnt family member Wingless (Wg), and TGF-β superfamily members Decapentaplegic (Dpp) and Hedgehog (Hh)] and wing disc specific nuclear protein coding gene Vestigial (Vg) are involved in normal development and differentiation of wing disc. In this article, the research findings on the development and differentiation of Drosophila wing disc and the related molecular mechanisms were reviewed.

Key words: Drosophila, wing, wing disc, development and differentiation, molecular regulation, homeobox gene, secretory protein