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Published on: January 2, 2018
Complex interactions between cis-regulatory modules in native conformation are critical for Drosophila snail
Leslie Dunipace1, Anil Ozdemir, Angelike Stathopoulos
1Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, MC114-96, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|August 5, 2011
Summary
Two cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) controlling Drosophila snail gene expression are not redundant. One CRM is essential for viability, while the other fine-tunes expression under stress, revealing complex gene regulation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Multiple cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) can activate concurrently for gene expression.
- The functional significance of seemingly redundant CRMs requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the functional importance of two CRMs in the Drosophila snail gene locus.
- To understand the distinct roles and interactions of these CRMs in embryonic gene expression.
Main Methods:
- Deletion analysis of a DNA rescue construct using BAC recombineering.
- Site-directed transgenesis in Drosophila embryos.
- Comparative analysis of CRM expression patterns and essentiality.
Main Results:
- The two snail gene CRMs are not redundant; one is essential for viability, the other for stress conditions.
- The distal CRM is required for viability, while the proximal CRM is only needed under extreme conditions like high temperatures.
- CRMs exhibit distinct expression patterns, with the proximal CRM expanding the domain and the distal CRM limiting it, and the proximal CRM dampening expression levels.
Conclusions:
- The two CRMs interact in cis in a non-additive manner.
- These interactions are crucial for fine-tuning gene expression domains and levels.
- Distinct CRMs provide essential and conditional regulatory functions, ensuring developmental robustness.
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