Generation of Mutants from the 57B Region of .

The 57B region of includes a cluster of the three homeobox genes (), (), and (). In an attempt to isolate mutants for these genes, we performed an EMS mutagenesis and isolated lethal mutants from the 57B region, among them mutants for , , and . With the help of two newly generated deletions from the 57B region, we mapped additional mutants to specific chromosomal intervals and identified several of these mutants from the 57B region molecularly.

The homeodomain transcription factor Orthopedia is involved in development of the Drosophila hindgut.

Background: The Drosophila hindgut is commonly used model for studying various aspects of organogenesis like primordium establishment, further specification, patterning, and morphogenesis. During embryonic development of Drosophila, many transcriptional activators are involved in the formation of the hindgut. The transcription factor Orthopedia (Otp), a member of the 57B homeobox gene cluster, is expressed in the hindgut and nervous system of developing Drosophila embryos, but due to the lack of mutants no functional analysis has been conducted yet.