The Fruit Fly Drosophila

The fact that the genetics and biology of Drosophila have been studied in great detail ([5, 6, 11, 21, 25, 40–42, 55], and periodic publication of Drosophila Information Service) and that many mutations affecting various developmental stages are known, makes Drosophila one of the most suitable models for analyzing the way in which genetic information is expressed in the course of development. Embryos and larvae develop rapidly and are readily available for embryological experiments [17, 33, 37, 47, 53, 73, 74, 88]. Imaginal disks undergoing differentiation into the organs and tissues of the adult provide a unique basis for studying problems of determination and differentiation [27, 28, 32, 36, 66].