Abstract
The expression of the D. melanogaster transcription factor Jun in the eye imaginal disc correlates temporally and spatially with the determination of neuronal photoreceptor fate. Expression of dominant negative forms of Jun in photoreceptor precursor cells results in dose-dependent loss of photoreceptors in the adult fly. Conversely, localized overexpression of Jun in the eye imaginal disc can induce the differentiation of additional photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, the transformation of nonneuronal cone cells into R7 neurons elicited by constitutively active forms of sevenless, Ras1, Raf, and MAP kinase is relieved in the presence of Jun mutants. These results demonstrate a requirement of Jun downstream of the sevenless/ras signaling pathway for neuronal development in the Drosophila eye.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / metabolism
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Cell Differentiation
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Drosophila Proteins*
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Drosophila melanogaster / embryology*
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Eye / anatomy & histology
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Eye / embryology*
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Eye / innervation
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Eye Proteins / metabolism
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Genes, fos / genetics
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Membrane Glycoproteins / metabolism
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Models, Genetic
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Mutation
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Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / anatomy & histology
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Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / embryology*
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / genetics
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / metabolism*
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism
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Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
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Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / physiology
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Suppression, Genetic
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Transformation, Genetic
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ras Proteins / metabolism*
Substances
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Drosophila Proteins
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Eye Proteins
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Membrane Glycoproteins
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun
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Recombinant Proteins
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
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sev protein, Drosophila
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
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ras Proteins