Drosophila eye development

Question 1

What is eyeless a homolog of?

Answer 1

Pax6

Question 2

What causes aniridia?

Answer 2

Mutations in pax

Question 3

What are the photoreceptor organs called?

Answer 3

Ommatidia

Question 4

What is each ommatidium made up of?

Answer 4

8 photoreceptor neurons
4 cone cells
8 additional pigment cells

Question 5

What direction does the morphogenetic furrow move in?

Answer 5

Sweeps over eye imaginal disc in a posterior to anterior fashion

Question 6

What happens as the furrow moves forward?

Answer 6

Cell clusters appear behind it- differentiate into ommatidia

Question 7

What does Spitz bind to?

Answer 7

DER receptors on neighbouring cells- R3,4 and R1,6

Question 8

What is absolutely required in R7?

Answer 8

Sev

Question 9

What is absolutely required in R8?

Answer 9

Boss

Question 10

What is sev?

Answer 10

Sevenless= trans-membrane receptor tyrosine kinase, found in prospective R7 cells

Question 11

What is boss?

Answer 11

Boss is sev’s ligand

Question 12

What cells are ommatidia associated with?

Answer 12

bristle cell
neuron
socket
sheath

Question 13

What does -/+ pax6 mutation in mice cause?

Answer 13

Small eyes

Question 14

What does a -/- pax6 mutation in mice cause?

Answer 14

Loss of eyes