Transfer of a functional arabinose operator-repressor system to Drosophila melanogaster Schneider line-2 cells

Regulatory elements from the arabinose operon of Escherichia coli were transfected into Drosophila melanogaster Schneider line 2 cells to test their ability to function in animal cells. A construct containing an araC fusion gene (encoding AraC protein) under the control of an act5C (encoding actin) promoter and a construct containing a lacZ fusion gene (reporter gene) also under the control of an act5C promoter were used to build a regulatory circuit in the D. melanogaster cells. We have demonstrated that a AraC fusion protein can be synthesised in Schneider cells where it is able to repress the transcription of the reporter gene containing AraC-binding sites inserted between the transcription start point and the initiation codon. The reporter gene activity can be further modulated by the addition of arabinose to the medium.