The legacy of Drosophila imaginal discs

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• 作者：Jorge V. Beira ; Renato Paro
• 关键词：Drosophila ; Imaginal discs ; Patterning ; Regeneration ; Tumor model
• 刊名：Chromosoma
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：September 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：125
• 期：4
• 页码：573-592
• 全文大小：1,798 KB
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Life Sciences
  Cell Biology
  Developmental Biology
  Biochemistry
  Human Genetics
  Animal Genetics and Genomics
  Eukaryotic Microbiology
  
• 出版者：Springer Berlin / Heidelberg
• ISSN：1432-0886
• 卷排序：125

文摘

The study of Drosophila imaginal discs has contributed to a number of discoveries in developmental and cellular biology. In addition to the elucidation of the role of tissue compartments and organ-specific master regulator genes during development, imaginal discs have also become well established as models for studying cellular interactions and complex genetic pathways. Here, we review key discoveries resulting from investigations of these epithelial precursor organs, ranging from cell fate determination and transdetermination to tissue patterning. Furthermore, the design of increasingly sophisticated genetic tools over the last decades has added value to the use of imaginal discs as model systems. As a result of tissue-specific genetic screens, several components of developmentally regulated signaling pathways were identified and epistasis revealed the levels at which they function. Discs have been widely used to assess cellular interactions in their natural tissue context, contributing to a better understanding of growth regulation, tissue regeneration, and cancer. With the continuous implementation of novel tools, imaginal discs retain significant potential as model systems to address emerging questions in biology and medicine.