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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

An Efficient Strategy for Generating Tissue-specific Binary Transcription Systems in Drosophila by Genome Editing
Published on: September 19, 2018
Transcriptional activation by extradenticle in the Drosophila visceral mesoderm
Brian G Stultz1, Donald G Jackson, Mark A Mortin
1Cellular and Tissue Therapy Branch, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, HFM-730, Bldg. 29B, Rm. 1E16, 8800 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
decapentaplegic (dpp) is a direct target of Ultrabithorax (Ubx) in parasegment 7 (PS7) of the embryonic visceral mesoderm. We demonstrate that extradenticle (exd) and homothorax (hth) are also required for dpp expression in this location, as well as in PS3, at the site of the developing gastric caecae. A 420 bp element from dpp contains EXD binding sites necessary for expressing a reporter gene in both these locations. Using a specificity swap, we demonstrate that EXD directly activates this element in vivo. Activation does not require Ubx, demonstrating that EXD can activate transcription independently of homeotic proteins. Restoration is restricted to the domains of endogenous dpp expression, despite ubiquitous expression of altered specificity EXD. We demonstrate that nuclear EXD is more extensively phosphorylated than the cytoplasmic form, suggesting that EXD is a target of signal transduction by protein kinases.
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