Quantitative dynamics and increased variability of segmentation gene expression in the Drosophila Krüppel and knirps mutants.

Here we characterize the response of the Drosophila segmentation system to mutations in two gap genes, Kr and kni, in the form of single or double homozygotes and single heterozygotes. Segmentation gene expression in these genotypes was quantitatively monitored with cellular resolution in space and 6.5 to 13min resolution in time.

Mechanisms of gap gene expression canalization in the Drosophila blastoderm.

Background: Extensive variation in early gap gene expression in the Drosophila blastoderm is reduced over time because of gap gene cross regulation. This phenomenon is a manifestation of canalization, the ability of an organism to produce a consistent phenotype despite variations in genotype or environment. The canalization of gap gene expression can be understood as arising from the actions of attractors in the gap gene dynamical system.

Estimation of errors introduced by confocal imaging into the data on segmentation gene expression in Drosophila.

Motivation: Currently the confocal scanning microscopy of fluorescently tagged molecules is extensively employed to acquire quantitative data on gene expression at cellular resolution. Following this approach, we generated a large dataset on the expression of segmentation genes in the Drosophila blastoderm, that is widely used in systems biology studies. As data accuracy is of critical importance for the success of studies in this field, we took a shot to evaluate possible errors introduced in the data by acquisition and processing methods.