Finger protein of novel structure encoded by hunchback, a second member of the gap class of Drosophila segmentation genes

Parental RNA interference of genes involved in embryonic development of the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte

“…Within this sequence, six C2H2 type zinc finger domains were predicted at positions in agreement with its role as a zinc finger transcription factor (Jurgens et al, 1984;Lehmann and Nussleinvolhard, 1987;Patel et al, 2001;Schröder, 2003;Tautz et al, 1987). When searched in the NCBI database using the BLASTx algorithm, the most similar sequence was from T. castaneum with 53% sequence identity.…”

“…In the case of hb, its role has been described as a key regulatory gene in the anterior-posterior patterning of insect embryos that can be provided both maternally and zygotically (Jurgens et al, 1984;Lehmann and Nussleinvolhard, 1987;Patel et al, 2001;Schröder, 2003;Tautz et al, 1987). A gap phenotype has been identified in Drosophila mutants with deletions of the labial through third thoracic segments and the eighth abdominal segment (Doe et al, 1991;Finkelstein and Perrimon, 1990;Tautz et al, 1987). In Tribolium, the reduced expression of hb by parental RNAi has been shown to cause disruption of head and thoracic segmentation (Schröder, 2003).…”

“…Brm is an ATP-dependent remodeling enzyme of the SWI2/SNF2 family (mating type switch/sucrose non-fermenting); it has been associated with nucleosome remodeling that is essential for regulated gene expression (Clapier and Cairns, 2009;Mohrmann and Verrijzer, 2005;Zraly et al, 2004). The second gene, hunchback (hb), is a gap gene which encodes a zinc-finger-containing transcription factor known be important for axial patterning in a number of insects (Jurgens et al, 1984;Lehmann and Nussleinvolhard, 1987;Patel et al, 2001;Schröder, 2003;Tautz et al, 1987). Injection-based pRNAi phenotypes for hb have been observed in insects that include the milkweed bug, O. fasciatus (Liu and Kaufman, 2004), the oriental migratory locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis (He et al, 2006), and pea aphid, A. pisum (Mao et al, 2013).…”

Survey of forkhead domain encoding genes in the Drosophila genome: Classification and embryonic expression patterns

“…Hence, it is possible that they function as "head gap genes" during early segmentation and respond to different concentrations of the morphogen Bicoid, as was postulated previously (Driever and Nü sslein-Volhard, 1988). In particular, the maternal and zygotic pattern of fd19B expression is reminiscent of that of the zinc-finger encoding gap gene hunchback (hb; Tautz et al, 1987). These presumptive gap genes may have been missed in previous genetic screens for embryonic patterning mutants, because they map to the X and fourth chromosome, respectively, which were not covered as exhaustively by genetic screens.…”

Genetic and molecular analysis of maternal information in region 32 of Drosophila melanogaster

“…Some of the most exciting results have come from the analysis of maternal genes whose products are involved in the establishment of the anteroposterior and dorsoventral polarity of the early embryo. The first mu- tants were isolated long ago (Nusslein-Volhard, 1977;Nusslein-Volhard and Wieschaus, 19801, and, after a great deal of time-consuming work to isolate and characterize the genes, the combination of all the available methodologies entered a particularly exciting phase in which the molecular hierarchies among these genes can be established and molecular models explaining the establishment of the coordinate axis and embryonic segments can be proposed (Nusslein-Volhard et al, 1987;Schupbach and Wieschaus, 1986;Schupbach, 1987;Tautz et al, 1987;Roth et al, 1989;Struhl et al, 1989; for a review see Ingham, 1988).…”