CASTOR ENCODES A NOVEL ZINC FINGER PROTEIN REQUIRED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUBSET OF CNS NEURONS IN DROSOPHILA

Using an enhancer detection screen, we have identified castor, a new gene required for embryonic CNS development in Drosophila. Embryos that lack castor expression have a diminished CNS axonal network and express engrailed aberrantly late in CNS development. castor is unique among the previously described genes involved in Drosophila neurogenesis in that its expression is restricted to a subset of delaminated CNS neuroblasts and to ventral midline glial precursor cells. The putative castor gene product contains a novel zinc-binding domain and multiple transcriptional activation domains, suggesting that it acts as a transcription factor necessary for the development of a subset of CNS neuronal precursors.