Antennapedia and Bithorax homeotic mutants in Drosophila

    Homeotic mutations affect normal development of the imaginal disks that produce cuticular structures (antennae, wings, halteres, legs, etc.). The Antennapedia mutant results in transdetermination of disks that ordinarily produce antennae (left) in the standard phenotype into disks that produce leg structures (middle). The mutant phenotype has legs growing out of the head. The Bithorax mutant (right) transdetermines halteres disks to wing structures (the wings are not typically functional).

Text material © 2005 by Steven M. Carr