A Directed Mutagenesis Screen in Drosophila melanogaster Reveals New Mutants That Influence hedgehog Signaling

Corresponding author: Marcel van den Heuvel, MRC Functional Genetics Unit, Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, S. Parks Rd., Oxford OX1 3QX, United Kingdom., marcel.vandenheuvel{at}anat.ox.ac.uk (E-mail)

Communicating editor: T. SCHÜPBACH

The Hedgehog signaling pathway has been recognized as essential for patterning processes in development of metazoan animal species. The signaling pathway is, however, not entirely understood. To start to address this problem, we set out to isolate new mutations that influence Hedgehog signaling. We performed a mutagenesis screen for mutations that dominantly suppress Hedgehog overexpression phenotypes in the Drosophila melanogaster wing. We isolated four mutations that influence Hedgehog signaling. These were analyzed in the amenable wing system using genetic and molecular techniques. One of these four mutations affects the stability of the Hedgehog expression domain boundary, also known as the organizer in the developing wing. Another mutation affects a possible Hedgehog autoregulation mechanism, which stabilizes the same boundary.

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