Hairless

Hairless (H) encodes a hydrophilic protein that is composed of 1076 amino acids, and has a molecular weight of 110 kDa.

In Drosophila, NSPs allow for communication intercellularly during embryo development, and the physiological activities of adult organisms.

Since Hairless (H) is an antagonist of the NSP, as well as a “key member of the Su[H] repressor complex[4]", it plays a significant part of embryo development in insects because it helps influence cell fate decisions during this time.

[4] It is crucial that proteins HP120 and HP150 are present in the organism as they control the normal activity of H.[4] This activity regulation also controls NSP, which allows the fly embryos to develop correctly, and if there is any fluctuation in the pathway or the proteins, it can change the outcome of the offspring.

[4] The two most common changes in the Drosophila phenotype as a result of Hairless mutation are bristle loss and vein gaps.

Figure 1. Diagram of Notch Signaling Pathway for Hairless Gene in Drosophila
Figure 2. Hand-drawn Image Showing the Differing Phenotypes Between the Wild Type ("wt") and Hairless ("H") Drosophila.