Expression in stage P3 pupal leg discs is restricted to each true leg joint and to the internal tendon precursors.

In stage 11 embryos, drm is expressed in stripes that are adjacent and posterior to hh-expressing cells in each parasegment. It is also expressed in the presumptive hindgut.

drm is expressed in the blastoderm embryo in seven stripes. Secondary stripes appear during gastrulation and persist into early germ band extension. The primary stripes are thicker than the secondary stripes. Additional expression is observed in the primordia of the proventriculus and hindgut. Late in germ band extension, the stripes become more equal in intensity and the hindgut expression becomes stronger.

The odd, sob and drm transcripts are detected an identical pattern in the third instar leg disc. There is segmental expression manifested as concentric rings on the distal edges of each presumptive leg segment not including the 4 tarsal segments (i.e. 5 rings of expression). There is an additional area of expression in the center of the disc that may correspond to a track of glial cells. The expression of drm is observed to begin during early larval development as a proximal ring of expression corresponding to the coxa. As larval development proceeds additional rings of expression are observed until the full complement of five rings is observed. Expression of odd, sob and drm occur in cells that are adjacent and distal to cells expressing the N ligands, Dl and Ser.