Mutant Drosophila embryos in which all cells adopt a neural fate

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Abstract
IN the Drosophila embryo, early developmental decisions lead to all cells adopting one of several initial fates, such as those characteristic of the germ layers. The central nervous system is formed subsequently from the neurogenic region of the ectoderm, in which progenitor cells of the neuroblasts and ventral epidermis are intermingled1,2. Two classes of genes govern the segregation of neuroblasts and peripheral sensory organs. The pro-neural3 class of genes, for example, the achaete-scute complex, participates in the initial decision to make each uniquely positioned neuroblast or sensory organ4–7, but are initially expressed in groups of cells8,9. The segregation of a neuroblast or sensory organ from an equivalent group10 of equipotential cells involves a mechanism of lateral inhibition whereby the future epidermal cells are prevented from engaging in the primary dominant neural fate2,11–15. In the absence of this inhibitory signal, all cells of the group will become neural by default1,16–19. The neurogenic class of genes is thought to mediate these cell interactions20. Here we report that cells in embryos mutant for shaggy which are unable to adopt any of the early initial fates, instead develop neural characteristics.