Abstract
The Drosophila zfh-1 gene encodes an unusual protein with nine Cys2His2 type zinc-finger motifs and one homeodomain that shows a complex pattern of expression in the embryonic mesoderm and nervous system. To study the function of zfh-1, we generated loss-of-function zfh-1 mutations. Phenotypic analysis of zfh-1 mutant embryos reveals that the gene is not required for the initial segregation of the mesoderm or for the differentiation of mesodermally derived tissues. Rather, loss of zfh-1 function results in various degrees of local errors in cell fate or positioning.
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