Identification of a regulatory allele of teashirt (tsh) in Drosophila melanogaster that affects wing hinge development. An adult-specific tsh enhancer in Drosophila.

A cis-acting regulatory element defined herein is required to drive teashirt (tsh) expression in the regions of the developing adult that give rise to proximal wing and haltere tissues. Loss of this expression results in the fusion of the proximal structures of the wing and halteres to the thoracic cuticle. This represents the first description of a viable adult-specific regulatory allele of tsh with a visible phenotype, and it enlarges our understanding of the expression of tsh and its function during the development of the adult.