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Figure 1 | Neural Development

Figure 1

From: Prospero and Pax2 combinatorially control neural cell fate decisions by modulating Ras- and Notch-dependent signaling

Figure 1

Pros and dPax2 together control cone cell development and lens formation. (A,B,D-K) Scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of adult eyes (A,D,F,H,J) or immunostaining of 45% pupal retinas for the CC-specific marker Cut (green) and the membrane marker E-cadherin (blue) (B,E,G,I,K) were analyzed from the following genotypes: yw67; Sp/CyO; TM2/TM6B (A,B), eyflp3.5; Sp/CyO; FRT82ubi-GFPnls, RpS3/FRT82B-pros17 (D,E), yw67; Sp/CyO; TM2/TM6B; spapol/spapol(F,G), yw67; Sp/CyO; FRT82B-pros17/TM6B; spapol/spapol(H,I), and UAS-d Pax2RNAi; sev-GAL4/CyO; UAS-Pros RNAi/TM6B (J,K). A slightly more severe phenotype from that shown in (J,K) is apparent in pros17/spapoldouble mutants, but these eyes collapsed during SEM and were particularly difficult to dissect. Panels (A',D',F',H',J') represent the boxed areas in the corresponding larger SEM. Circles represent CC clusters within individual ommatidia, and the dotted circle in (E) represents a rare yet significant loss of one CC observed in pros mutants. Control eyes have regular lens facets by SEM (A) and four CCs per ommatida by Cut and E-cadherin double-staining (B). (C) Quantification of CC numbers shows a strong genetic interaction and dual requirement for Pros and dPax2 in CC specification. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.001, n.d. = none detected. Error bars represent standard deviation. (D,E) pros17Minute LOF eyes (see Materials and methods) show mild roughening by SEM (D), and a rare yet significant loss of one CC (E, dotted circle). (F,G) spapoleyes show some roughening (F), consistent with a regular loss in PPCs [28] and at least one CC (G,G', circles). Removing one copy of pros from spapolmutants causes further perturbation of lens morphogenesis, with holes in the center of the lenses frequently observed (H), and CC number is reduced to approximately two per ommatidia (I). sev> dPax2RNAi + ProsRRNAi lack lens facets by SEM (J) and Cut-positive cells are not detected (K).

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