Despite the evolutionary distance between fruit flies and mosquitoes,similarities in their embryonic patterning do exist. However, differences in the morphology of their extra-embryonic membranes (EMs) have evolved: whereas Drosophila has one EM (the amnioserosa), the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, has distinct amnion and serosa tissues. Yury Goltsev and colleagues (see ) now show that changes in the expression of the dorsal gene network underlie morphological changes in the EMs of these Diptera. Specifically, the occurrence of two EMs in A. gambiae correlates with a broader domain of Decapentaplegic (Dpp) signalling. Studies of dorsal-ventral patterning gene expression profiles in A. gambiaereveal that this expanded Dpp domain arises from the restricted expression of the Dpp inhibitor, Sog. High-affinity Dorsal-binding sites in the Drosophila sog enhancer drives broad sog expression. By contrast, the mosquito sog enhancer contains low-affinity Dorsal-binding sites, which can restrict sog expression in the Drosophila mesoderm. Subtle changes in the Dorsal patterning network have thus altered the morphology of a single EM to form two.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
July 2007
The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues
Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 30 May 2025.
Meet our 2025 Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows
We are delighted to announce our third cohort of PI fellows - researchers whom we will be supporting as they transition from postdoc to Principal Investigator. Read about the eight talented fellows chosen, whom we're excited to be working with as they navigate the job market.
In preprints
the Node: Have your say
Our community site, the Node, is conducting a user survey about the content and the design of the site. Help us shape the Node's future and thank you for being a part of the Node over the last 15 years.
Social media
