Scabrous overexpression in the eye affects R3/R4 cell fate specification and inhibits notch signaling
Background Planar cell polarity (PCP) in the Drosophila eye is generated when immature ommatidial preclusters acquire opposite chirality in the dorsal and ventral halves of the eye imaginal disc and rotate 90 ° toward the equator. The scabrous (sca) gene is involved in R8 differentiation and in the correct spacing of ommatidial clusters in eye imaginal discs, but it was also suggested to be required during ommatidial rotation. However, no clear relationships between sca and other genes involved in the process were established. Results To explore the role of Sca in PCP establishment, we performed an RNAi-based modifier genetic screen using the rough eye phenotype of sca-overexpressing flies.…