E93 controls adult differentiation by repressing in .

In , successful development relies on the precise coordination of both spatial and temporal regulatory axes. The temporal axis governs stage-specific identity and developmental transitions through a number of genes, collectively forming the . Among these, Ecdysone inducible protein 93F (E93) serves as the critical determinant for adult specification, but its mechanism of action remains unclear.

Evolution of tissue-specific expression of ancestral genes across vertebrates and insects.

Regulation of gene expression is arguably the main mechanism underlying the phenotypic diversity of tissues within and between species. Here we assembled an extensive transcriptomic dataset covering 8 tissues across 20 bilaterian species and performed analyses using a symmetric phylogeny that allowed the combined and parallel investigation of gene expression evolution between vertebrates and insects. We specifically focused on widely conserved ancestral genes, identifying strong cores of pan-bilaterian tissue-specific genes and even larger groups that diverged to define vertebrate and insect tissues.

TGFß/activin-dependent activation of Torso controls the timing of the metamorphic transition in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum.

Understanding the mechanisms governing body size attainment during animal development is of paramount importance in biology. In insects, a crucial phase in determining body size occurs at the larva-pupa transition, marking the end of the larval growth period. Central to this process is the attainment of the threshold size (TS), a critical developmental checkpoint that must be reached before the larva can undergo metamorphosis.

Nuclear receptors EcR-A/RXR and HR3 control early embryogenesis in the short-germ hemimetabolous insect .

The role of steroid hormone signaling during insect post-embryonic development has been extensively characterized. However, its function during embryonic development is less understood, particularly in short-germ band hemimetabolous insects. To solve this, we have used to analyze the embryonic functions of the heterodimeric ecdysone receptor, BgEcR-A and BgRXR.

Antagonistic role of the BTB-zinc finger transcription factors Chinmo and Broad-Complex in the juvenile/pupal transition and in growth control.

During development, the growing organism transits through a series of temporally regulated morphological stages to generate the adult form. In humans, for example, development progresses from childhood through to puberty and then to adulthood, when sexual maturity is attained. Similarly, in holometabolous insects, immature juveniles transit to the adult form through an intermediate pupal stage when larval tissues are eliminated and the imaginal progenitor cells form the adult structures.