Establishment of embryonic polarity during Drosophila oogenesis

Abstract

Polarity and pattern of the Drosophila egg and embryo are initially established by maternal factors present during oogenesis and early embryogenesis. Four different maternal activities are needed to determine dorsal-ventral, anterior, posterior and terminal cell fates in the embryo. This review summarizes the emerging molecular pathways which lead from the determination of the oocyte to differential gene expression in embryonic cells along the antero-posterior and dorso-ventral axes.