The neurogenic genes in Drosophila oogenesis

Abstract

The Notch receptor of Drosophila and its homologues in other organisms mediate cell-cell interactions required for the correct partitioning of cell fates within equivalence groups. Genes related to Notch and other components of the Notch signaling pathway represent a well conserved system for signal transduction, having been isolated from organisms as diverse as flies, worms, sea urchins, frogs, fish, chickens, mice, rats, and humans (reviewed by Lardelli et al., 1995). The expression and requirements for Notch signaling are pleiotropic through development, in contrast to other tissue or cell type specific receptors. How the Notch signaling cascade mediates pattern formation in so many tissues and cell types is not well understood. The research contained herein increases the understanding of Notch signaling by studying its role during Drosophila oogenesis. Additionally, this research lends insight into several important processes that take place during Drosophila oogenesis, including determination of follicle cell fates surrounding the egg chamber and in stalk formation, establishment of the oocyte anterior-posterior axis, and the control of germ-line mitosis.