Drosophila imaginal discs are epithelial tissues perfectly suited to use them as a playground to define the functional contribution of genes to epithelial development and organ morphogenesis. The more we know about the discs and the mechanisms directing their development, the best prepared we are to assign specific “functions” to individual genes based on phenotypic observations. Conversely, and thinking from the perspective of the gene, the more we know about its function, the best inferences we could make about the mechanisms underlying imaginal disc development. This reciprocal relationship, coupled to the arsenal of possible experimental approaches available in Drosophila genetics, genomics and cellular biology, makes these tissues excellent systems to address biological problems with biomedical relevance. In this review, an overview of three interconnected aspects related to the use of Drosophila imaginal discs as an experimental system to analyze gene function is given: (i) imaginal discs biology, with a focus in the genetic mechanisms involved in pattern formation; (ii) concepts and available experimental tools for the analyses of gene function and (iii) uses of Drosophila and the imaginal discs for addressing biomedical problems.
Part of the book: Drosophila melanogaster