Sequence and expression of the hunchback gene in Lucilia sericata: a comparison with other Dipterans.

We have found that the hunchback (hb)gene from Lucilia sericata is conserved in its functional domains in comparison with related flies, although there is divergence in the protein outside these regions. The expression patterns of Lucilia hb in early embryos are broadly similar to other higher Dipterans. However, in the posterior region we report blastoderm and post-gastrulation expression patterns, which are diverged from Musca and Drosophila. These patterns are reminiscent of hb expression in more primitive insects and could be indicative of changes in the regulation of hb in Lucilia by the terminal system.