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. 2001 Nov;159(3):1031–1044. doi: 10.1093/genetics/159.3.1031

Drosophila-raf acts to elaborate dorsoventral pattern in the ectoderm of developing embryos.

K Radke 1, K Johnson 1, R Guo 1, A Davidson 1, L Ambrosio 1
PMCID: PMC1461885  PMID: 11729151

Abstract

In the early Drosophila embryo the activity of the EGF-receptor (Egfr) is required to instruct cells to adopt a ventral neuroectodermal fate. Using a gain-of-function mutation we showed that D-raf acts to transmit this and other late-acting embryonic Egfr signals. A novel role for D-raf was also identified in lateral cell development using partial loss-of-function D-raf mutations. Thus, we provide evidence that zygotic D-raf acts to specify cell fates in two distinct pathways that generate dorsoventral pattern within the ectoderm. These functional requirements for D-raf activity occur subsequent to its maternal role in organizing the anterioposterior axis. The consequences of eliminating key D-raf regulatory domains and specific serine residues in the transmission of Egfr and lateral epidermal signals were also addressed here.

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Selected References

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