THE SPECIFICATION OF SENSORY NEURON IDENTITY IN DROSOPHILA

Different types of sense organs are present on the larva of Drosophila . Several genes that specify the type of sense organ that will form at a particular position have been recently identified. Here we review t he functional and molecular analyses of these genes, and summarize the evidence which supports a role in the choice of which type of organ w ill be formed. Most or all of these genes are required for the appropr iate specification of adult as well as larval sense organs, suggesting that the larval and adult systems share many gene requirements. Inter estingly, the specifying genes identified so far in the peripheral ner vous system are also expressed in subsets of cells in the central nerv ous system, where they might have similar roles.