RESUMEN
Polycomb and trithorax group genes maintain the appropriate repressed or activated state of homeotic gene expression throughout Drosophila melanogaster development. We have previously identified the batman gene as a Polycomb group candidate since its function is necessary for the repression of Sex combs reduced. However, our present genetic analysis indicates functions of batman in both activation and repression of homeotic genes. The 127-amino-acid Batman protein is almost reduced to a BTB/POZ domain, an evolutionary conserved protein-protein interaction domain found in a large protein family. We show that this domain is involved in the interaction between Batman and the DNA binding GAGA factor encoded by the Trithorax-like gene. The GAGA factor and Batman codistribute on polytene chromosomes, coimmunoprecipitate from nuclear embryonic and larval extracts, and interact in the yeast two-hybrid assay. Batman, together with the GAGA factor, binds to MHS-70, a 70-bp fragment of the bithoraxoid Polycomb response element. This binding, like that of the GAGA factor, requires the presence of d(GA)n sequences. Together, our results suggest that batman belongs to a subset of the Polycomb/trithorax group of genes that includes Trithorax-like, whose products are involved in both activation and repression of homeotic genes.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Proteínas de Homeodominio/genética , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Cromosomas/metabolismo , Secuencia Conservada , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/embriología , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Embrión no Mamífero , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Proteínas de Homeodominio/metabolismo , Larva , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Complejo Represivo Polycomb 1 , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Proteínas Represoras/metabolismo , Elementos de Respuesta/genéticaRESUMEN
The EcR/USP nuclear receptor controls Drosophila metamorphosis by activating complex cascades of gene transcription in response to pulses of the steroid hormone ecdysone at the end of larval development. Ecdysone release provides a ubiquitous signal for the activation of the receptor, but a number of its target genes are induced in a tissue- and stage-specific manner. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in this developmental modulation of the EcR/USP-mediated pathway. Fbp1 is a good model of primary ecdysone response gene expressed in the fat body for addressing this question. We show here that the dGATAb factor binds to three target sites flanking an EcR/USP binding site in a 70-bp enhancer that controls the tissue and stage specificity of Fbp1 transcription. We demonstrate that one of these sites and proper expression of dGATAb are required for specific activation of the enhancer in the fat body. In addition, we provide further evidence that EcR/USP plays an essential role as a hormonal timer. Our study provides a striking example of the integration of molecular pathways at the level of a tissue-specific hormone response unit.