Snail (sna) encodes a transcription factor that contributes to embryonic mesoderm development, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and asymmetric cell division.

Zelda, isoform A; Zelda (zld) encodes a zinc finger transcription factor that functions in early blastoderm development. It works as a zygotic genome activator because it has a global role in regulating early expressed genes, such as genes essential for cellularization, sex determination and pattern formation. It is also required at later times in development.

Segmentation protein even-skipped; May play a role in determining neuronal identity. May be directly involved in specifying identity of individual neurons. Pair- rule protein required for segmentation; involved in transforming the broad, spatial, aperiodic expression patterns of the gap genes into a system of precise periodic expression patterns of the pair-rule and segmentary polarity genes; Belongs to the even-skipped homeobox family.

Muscle-specific homeobox protein tinman; Required for the development of heart and visceral muscle; for the formation of somatic muscles. Has a crucial function in the early mesodermal subdivisions.

Daughterless (da) encodes a class I bHLH protein important for sex determination and dosage compensation by controlling the feminizing switch gene Sxl. It participates in transcriptional regulation of a wide variety processes, including oogenesis, neurogenesis, myogenesis and cell proliferation.

Protein zerknuellt 1; Required for the differentiation of the dorsal-ventral pattern, and does not appear to be involved in the process of segmentation.

Segmentation protein fushi tarazu; May play a role in determining neuronal identity, may be directly involved in specifying identity of individual neurons. Required during embryogenesis for the process of body segmentation. Homeotic protein, required in alternating segment primordia, it specifies the correct number of segments.

Zygotic gap protein knirps; Transcriptional repressor. Binds to multiple sites in the eve stripe 3 enhancer element. Plays an essential role in the segmentation process both by refining the expression patterns of gap genes and by establishing pair-rules stripes of gene expression.

Embryonic polarity protein dorsal; Embryonic developmental protein. The lateral or ventral identity of a cell depends upon the concentration of this protein in its nucleus during the blastoderm stage. A morphogenetic protein that specifically binds to the kappa B-related consensus sequence 5'- GRGAAAANCC-3', located in the enhancer region of zygotic genes such as Zen, Twist, Snail and Decapentaplegic. Mediates an immune response in larvae. Part of a signaling pathway involving NF- kappa-B and Toll-related receptors, that functions in the apoptosis of unfit cells during cell competition [...]