Leg imaginal discs

Confocal sections and schematic representations of leg imaginal discs are shown. The early third instar disc is shown at higher magnification compared to the late third instar discs and pupal disc. In late third instar larvae, the imaginal disc is a highly folded epithelium, which everts during pupal stages to form the adult leg. Discs were stained with antibodies against, Teashirt (blue), Dachshund (red) and Distalless (green), which stain progressively more distal tissue. Yellow staining indicates cells expressing both Distalless and Dachshund. In addition to its distal expression domain, Distalless is also expressed in a proximal ring of cells.