Conserved roles of ems/Emx and otd/Otx genes in olfactory and visual system development in Drosophila and mouse

The regional specialization of brain function has been well documented in the mouse and fruitfly. The expression of regulatory factors in specific regions of the brain during development suggests that they function to establish or maintain this specialization. Here, we focus on two such factors—the Drosophila cephalic gap genes empty spiracles (ems) and orthodenticle (otd), and their vertebrate homologues Emx1/2 and Otx1/2—and review novel insight into their multiple crucial roles in the formation of complex sensory systems. While the early requirement of these genes in specification of the neuroectoderm has been discussed previously, here we consider more recent studies that elucidate the later functions of these genes in sensory system formation in vertebrates and invertebrates. These new studies show that the ems and Emx genes in both flies and mice are essential for the development of the peripheral and central neurons of their respective olfactory systems. Moreover, they demonstrate that the otd and Otx genes in both flies and mice are essential for the development of the peripheral and central neurons of their respective visual systems. Based on these recent experimental findings, we discuss the possibility that the olfactory and visual systems of flies and mice share a common evolutionary origin, in that the conserved visual and olfactory circuit elements derive from conserved domains of otd/Otx and ems/Emx action in the urbilaterian ancestor.     

Cell geometry,signal dampening,and a bimodal transcriptional response underlie the spatial precision of an ERK-mediated embryonic induction

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Distinct structural domains in the planarian brain defined by the expression of evolutionarily conserved homeobox genes

 Homeobox genes such as orthodenticle in Drosophila and its mouse homologues, Otx1 and Otx2, are known to be essential for rostral brain development. To investigate the molecular basis of brain evolution, we searched for otd/Otx-related homeobox genes in the planarian Dugesia japonica, and identified two genes, DjotxA and B, whose expression appears to be restricted to the cephalic ganglion (brain). DjotxA was expressed more medially, in the region containing the termini of the visual axons, and in the visual cells, suggesting involvement in establishment of the visual system. DjotxB was expressed in a discrete region just lateral to the DjotxA-positive domain, but not in the more lateral branch structures, which in turn are characterized by the expression of Djotp, a planarian homeobox gene related to mouse Orthopedia (Otp). In transverse sections of planarians, DjotxA and B expression were observed only at the anterior ends of the stumps, corresponding to the regional pattern of the regenerating brain. Our findings suggest that the planarian brain is composed of structurally distinct and functionally diverse domains which are defined by the discrete expression of the three evolutionarily conserved homeobox genes. Received: 17 June 1998 / Accepted: 20 August 1998