Molecular characterization of the C-3 DNA puff gene of Rhynchosciara americana

We have mapped a region of about 33 kb which includes the transcription unit of the C-3 DNA puff gene of Rhynchosciara americana. The C-3 TU and a region extending approximately 800 bp upstream of the C-3 promoter were characterized. The TU is composed of three exons and produces a 1.1-kb mRNA whose level in salivary glands increases with the expansion of the C-3 puff. The C-3 messenger appears to undergo rapid deadenylation resulting in an RNA of about 0.95 kb which can still be observed in gland cells 15 h after the puff has regressed. The 1.1-kb mRNA codes for a 32.4-kDa, predominantly alpha-helical polypeptide with three conserved parallel coiled-coil stretches. The aa composition and structure of this polypeptide suggests that it is secreted and contributes to the formation of the cocoon in which the larvae pupate. The region upstream of the promoter contains several A-rich sequences with similarity to the ACS of yeast which might have a role in the initiation of replication/amplification.