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Spatial and temporal control elements of the Drosophila engrailed gene
1Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Genes & Development
|March 1, 1990
Summary
Regulatory sequences in the engrailed (en) gene's first intron drive early embryonic stripes. Different sequences control later stripes, indicating complex regulation for en expression patterns.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Genetics
- Molecular biology
Background:
- The engrailed (en) gene is crucial for embryonic segmentation, exhibiting striped expression patterns.
- Understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling en's precise spatial and temporal expression is key to deciphering developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of regulatory sequences within the first intron of the engrailed gene in conferring striped expression.
- To determine if these intronic sequences are sufficient for both early and late developmental stages.
- To compare the regulatory function of intronic sequences with the endogenous engrailed gene in various genetic backgrounds.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of regulatory sequences within the first intron of the engrailed gene.
- Assessing the ability of a 1-kb intronic fragment to confer striped expression during embryonic development.
- Comparing expression patterns driven by the intronic sequences to endogenous engrailed stripes in wild-type and segmentation mutant backgrounds.
Main Results:
- Regulatory sequences responsible for early striped expression of engrailed are located within its first intron.
- The 1-kb intronic fragment can confer striped expression early in development but not late.
- Intron-driven stripes are spatially coincident with endogenous engrailed stripes in wild-type embryos but exhibit altered behavior in certain segmentation mutants.
- The intronic regulatory sequences lack some elements present in the endogenous gene required for specific mutant contexts.
Conclusions:
- Different regulatory sequences control engrailed stripes at distinct developmental times.
- The first intron of the engrailed gene contains elements sufficient for early striped expression.
- The engrailed gene's striped expression is governed by multiple, potentially independent, regulatory programs.
- While capable of inducing normal-appearing stripes, the intronic sequences do not fully recapitulate the regulatory complexity of the endogenous gene.