This page provides a detailed worksheet on Drosophila anterior/posterior patterning to help students grasp key concepts in developmental biology. Learn about genetic gradients, morphogens, and segmentation with clear explanations and practice exercises.
Essential concepts and terminology to understand this topic
The front or head-end of an organism, critical in establishing the body axis in embryonic development.
The back or tail-end of an organism, opposite to the anterior, important for axis patterning.
A signaling molecule that forms a concentration gradient and influences cell fate during development.
A maternal effect gene product essential for anterior development in Drosophila embryos.
A protein encoded by a maternal effect gene, responsible for posterior development in Drosophila.
Genes expressed early in development that define broad regions of the embryo.
Genes that define alternating segments in the developing embryo.
Genes that refine segment boundaries and establish polarity within segments.
Genes that determine the identity of specific body segments during development.
Genes expressed in the mother that influence the early development of the embryo.
Genes expressed in the zygote, essential for later stages of development.
A gradual change in the concentration of a substance, crucial for positional information in embryos.
A subgroup of homeotic genes that define the body plan along the anterior-posterior axis.
The process by which an embryo forms and develops, involving multiple genetic pathways.
A series of gene activations triggered sequentially during development.
