Related Experiment Videos
Multiple regulatory elements direct the complex expression pattern of the Drosophila segmentation gene paired
T Gutjahr1, C E Vanario-Alonso, L Pick
1Institute for Molecular Biology II, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Mechanisms of Development
|November 1, 1994
Summary
The paired (prd) gene in Drosophila is crucial for body plan development. Researchers identified regulatory DNA regions controlling its complex stripe pattern, revealing upstream and downstream elements essential for gene expression during segmentation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The Drosophila paired (prd) gene is a key pair-rule segmentation gene.
- prd establishes metameric organization in the Drosophila body plan.
- prd expression depends on other segmentation genes like gap and pair-rule genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize and analyze the cis-regulatory regions controlling prd gene expression.
- To identify DNA sequences necessary and sufficient for proper prd expression patterns.
Main Methods:
- Identified an 18-kb genomic fragment containing the prd gene and flanking regions capable of rescuing prd mutant embryos.
- Constructed and analyzed prd-lacZ fusion constructs with progressively shorter 5'-flanking sequences.
- Mapped cis-regulatory elements responsible for specific expression patterns.
Main Results:
- A 10-kb 5'-flanking region contains both activator and repressor elements controlling the seven-stripe and 14-stripe patterns.
- The prd intron and a minimal upstream region (0.15 kb) drive low-level striped expression.
- Regulatory information for the anterior dorsal spot and early seven-stripe pattern resides downstream of the prd coding region.
Conclusions:
- Upstream and downstream cis-regulatory elements, modulated by pair-rule and gap gene products, mediate prd gene regulation.
- Separable regulatory regions controlling distinct expression phases suggest a general mechanism for segmentation gene regulation.