BIPAROUS - A NOVEL BHLH GENE EXPRESSED IN NEURONAL AND GLIAL PRECURSORS IN DROSOPHILA

Genetic studies have uncovered many genes that are involved in the fir st steps of neuronal development in Drosophila. Less is known about th e intermediate steps during which individual precursor cells follow ei ther the neuronal pathway or the glial pathway. We report the identifi cation of a novel bHLH gene, biparous, expressed in neuronal and glial precursors in Drosophila. Unlike most bHLH genes, biparous expression continues to the final stages of neurogenesis in the embryo. Expressi on of biparous is not observed in end stage postmitotic neurons and pr ecedes the expression of repo, a gene activated in later stages of gli al differentiation. The bHLH domain is sufficiently different from pre viously described bHLH domains to imply a novel function. (C) 1996 Aca demic Press, Inc.