MUSCLE PATTERNING AND SPECIFICATION IN DROSOPHILA

There are obvious differences in the way sense organs and muscles are generated during Drosophila embryogenesis. For example, all the cells that compose the final sense organ are derived from a unique cell thro ugh a well-established lineage, whereas each muscle is formed by fusio n of myoblasts that belong to two different populations: a founder cel l and a pool of fusion competent cells. Despite these differences, sim ilar genes and mechanisms appear to be involved in the generation of t he pattern of sense organs and in muscle development. Thus, the proces s of specifying individual cells and endowing them with the ability to initiate neuronal or muscle development, as well as the acquisition o f alternative fates among sibling cells, appear to be under similar ge netic control both in neural and muscle development.