Role of MADF BESS Domain Protein Family In Gene Regulation and Wing Development in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

In Drosophila melanogaster, there are 16 genes listed in the MADF-BESS domain family. Three out of these sixteen genes -- hinge1 (CG9437), hinge2 (CG13897) and hinge3 (CG8359) -- have been shown to give a bent wing phenotype when knocked down by RNA interference. I have characterized the phenotype that results from knock down of hinge1 using flight assays, light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. I found out that hinge1, hinge2 and hinge3 are negative regulators of wingless, the best characterized wnt gene in Drosophila melanogaster.