Drosophila tissue and organ development: Eye

The Interactive Fly

The Eye-Antenna Disc and Eye Morphogenesis

Genes involved in tissue and organ development

Genes expressed in eye morphogenesis

Genes expressed in antennal morphogenesis

Structure of the eye

Development of the eye

The Drosophila Adult Ommatidium

Specification of the eye versus the antenna

Transformation of eye to antenna by misexpression of a single gene

Stochastic spineless expression creates the retinal mosaic for colour vision

Contribution of photoreceptor subtypes to spectral wavelength preference in Drosophila

Genetic dissection reveals two separate retinal substrates for polarization vision in Drosophila

Genes expressed in antennal differentiation

Genes expressed in the development of Bolwig's organ

The extraretinal eyelet of Drosophila, the adult remnant of Bolwig's organ

Proteins involved in visual signal transduction

Image: Specification of the eye disc primordium and establishment of dorsal/ventral asymmetry

progression of the morphogenetic furrow across the eye disc

Progression of the morphogenetic furrow across the eye disc

Genes involved in eye morphogenesis
*** indicates a special link to eye specific information

Genes acting in formation of the optic placode during embryonic development
- buttonhead
- clift (Eyes absent) | ***
- crumbs
- distal-less
- empty spiracles
- eyeless | ***
- labial
- orthodenticle
- optomotor blind
- polyhomeotic
- sina oculis | ***
- tailless
Secreted proteins involved in progression of the furrow
- decapentaplegic
- hedgehog | ***
- wingless | ***
Genes acting in front of the morphogenetic furrow
- atonal | ***
- bunched (shortsighted)
- dachshund
- daughterless
- Delta
- Deltex
- cubitus interruptus
- Cyclin E
- disc proliferation abnormal
- DNA replication-related element factor
- E2F
- E2F transcription factor 2
- Enhancer of split
- 18 wheeler
- eyegone | ***
- eyeless | ***
- extra machrochaetae
- eyelid | ***
- fat facets | ***
- fringe | ***
- hairy
- homothorax | ***
- mirror | ***
- hopscotch | ***
- Mothers against dpp
- neuralized
- Notch
- Optix
- orthodenticle
- outstretched | ***
- pannier | ***
- Protein kinase A
- scabrous | ***
- schnurri
- seven in absentia (sina) | ***
- sine oculis | ***
- spitz | ***
- STAT | ***
- string
- Suppressor of Hairless
- teashirt
- tolloid related 1
- ultraspiracle | ***
- wingless | ***
Other transcription factors involved in eye morphogenesis
Intracellular signaling proteins

Genes regulating the cell cycle
- Axud1
- cdc2
- cdc2c (See Cyclin E)
- cyclin A | ***
- cyclin B
- cyclin D
- Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6
- cyclin E
- dacapo
- fizzy related
- geminin
- gigas | ***
- Origin recognition complex subunit 1
- polo
- Regulator of cyclin A1
- Retinoblastoma-family protein | ***
- roughex | ***
Genes regulating the patterning of R8 photoreceptors
- argos and rhomboid and other components of the EGF-R pathway
- atonal and rough acting as the proneural gene and repressor respectively
- scabrous, Notch and other components of the Notch pathway acting acting to negatively regulate atonal

Boss - Sevenless and EGF-R pathway and targets involved in photoreceptor maturation
- argos | ***
- Boss | ***
- Cbl | ***
- corkscrew | ***
- ebi
- EGF-Receptor | ***
- GTPase-activating protein 1
- Jun | ***
- leonardo | ***
- phyllopod | ***
- pointed
- Ras oncogene at 85D | ***
- rhomboid
- rolled (MAP kinase) | ***
- roughoid
- Sevenless | ***
- Seven-up | ***
- small wing | ***
- spitz | ***
- sprouty | ***
- Star | ***
- vein
- yan | ***
Surface and secreted proteins involved in photoreceptor maturation
- argos | ***
- 18 wheeler
- frizzled | ***
- longitudinal lacking
- multiple edematous wings (see myospheroid)
- myospheroid
- Neurotactin
Transcription factors involved in photoreceptor maturation
Scaffold proteins
- arc
- bazooka
- canoe
- discs large 1
- guftagu (Cul-3)
- inactivation no afterpotential D
- lin-19-like (Cullin1)
- Merlin
- milton
- par-6
- polychaetoid
- rugose
- stardust
- varicose
- veli (alternative name: Lin-7)
Cytoskeletal proteins and regulators
Other genes

Bolwig's organ

Genes involved in the development of Bolwig's organ (the larval eye)

For information on Bolwig's organ cell fate determination see the tailless Biological Overview Bolwig's organ

Genes expressed in Bolwig's organ
- abstrakt
- argos
- atonal
- beaten path - expressed in optic lobe - required for Bolwig's organ axon pathfinding
- castor
- Dscam
- ecdysone receptor
- Epidermal growth factor receptor
- eyes absent
- eyeless
- Fasciclin 2
- glass
- Hedgehog
- Kinesin associated protein 3
- Kruppel
- Lyra (senseless)
- Nitric oxide synthase (expressed in Bolwig's nerve)
- orthodenticle
- pointed
- PvuII-PstI homology 13
- Rhodopsin 3
- rhomboid
- Protein tyrosine phosphatase 69D
- rolled
- seven up
- sine oculis
- spalt
- spitz
- Src oncogene at 42A
- tailless

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