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Negative autoregulation by Ultrabithorax controls the level and pattern of its expression
1Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|January 1, 1993
Summary
The Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene in Drosophila shows complex autoregulation, with positive control in the visceral mesoderm and negative control elsewhere. This dual mechanism fine-tunes Ubx protein levels and expression patterns for segment identity.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene is crucial for specifying segment identity in Drosophila.
- Understanding Ubx autoregulation is key to deciphering developmental patterning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of Ubx autoregulation in Drosophila.
- To determine how autoregulation influences Ubx expression patterns and protein levels.
Main Methods:
- Genetic manipulation of Ubx levels.
- Use of an inducible transgene to control Ubx expression.
- Monitoring Ubx and Ubx-lacZ reporter gene expression.
Main Results:
- Ubx exhibits positive autoregulation specifically in the visceral mesoderm.
- In other tissues, Ubx negatively autoregulates its own expression.
- Negative autoregulation can stabilize Ubx levels or modulate its spatial and temporal expression patterns.
Conclusions:
- Ubx autoregulation is a complex process with tissue-specific mechanisms.
- Modulated Ubx expression via negative autoregulation likely contributes to specifying distinct segmental identities.
- The Ubx upstream control region contains elements for both positive and negative autoregulation.