Affolter Markus, Basler Konrad
Biozentrum der Universität Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 70, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Nat Rev Genet. 2007 Sep;8(9):663-74. doi: 10.1038/nrg2166.
Morphogens have been linked to numerous developmental processes, including organ patterning and the control of organ size. Here we review how different experimental approaches have led to an unprecedented level of molecular knowledge about the patterning role of the Drosophila melanogaster morphogen Decapentaplegic (DPP, the homologue of vertebrate bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP), the first validated secreted morphogen. In addition, we discuss how little is known about the role of the DPP morphogen in the control of organ growth and organ size. Continued efforts to elucidate the role of DPP in D. melanogaster is likely to shed light on this fundamental question in the near future.
形态发生素与众多发育过程相关，包括器官模式形成和器官大小的控制。在此，我们回顾不同的实验方法如何带来了关于果蝇形态发生素“五体不全”（DPP，脊椎动物骨形态发生蛋白或BMP的同源物）模式形成作用的前所未有的分子层面知识，DPP是首个得到验证的分泌型形态发生素。此外，我们还讨论了对于DPP形态发生素在器官生长和器官大小控制方面的作用所知甚少。在不久的将来，持续努力阐明DPP在黑腹果蝇中的作用可能会为这个基本问题带来启示。
