Role of nemo in patterning the drosophila eye and head

在不同的动物和昆虫中，控制眼睛特征的基因是高度保守的，然而它们在这些物种中指定了截然不同的眼睛结构的形成。在本文中，我们描述了研究Nemo蛋白在果蝇眼睛和头部命运中的作用的实验。在头部和眼睛结构的发育过程中，有某些基因抑制头部命运，从而促进眼睛发育。其他基因抑制视网膜眼的命运和促进头细胞的身份。有些人在这两个过程中都扮演着角色。执行这些不同功能的蛋白质是通过多层蛋白质相互作用来调节的。我们对Nemo的研究表明，Nemo需要抑制某些促进头部的蛋白质的功能，同时需要某些视网膜蛋白质的活性。因此，尼莫似乎在确保有机体发育过程中发生的对立活动之间的适当平衡方面发挥了不可或缺的作用。

The genes that control eye specification in different animals and insects are highly conserved, yet they specify the formation of vastly different eye structure across these species. In this proposal, we describe experiments to study the role of the Nemo protein in specifying eye and head fates in the fruit fly Drosophila. In the development of the head and eye structures, there are certain genes that act to repress head fate, thus promoting eyes. Other genes repress retinal eye fate and promote head cell identity. Some play roles in both processes. The proteins that carry out these diverse functions are regulated through multiple tiers of protein-protein interactions. Our studies of Nemo have revealed that Nemo is required to suppress the function of certain head-promoting proteins, while being required for the activity of certain retinal proteins. Thus Nemo seems to play an integral role in ensuring the proper balance between the opposing activities that occur during the development of the organism.