Homeodomain-independent activity of the fushi tarazu polypeptide in Drosophila embryos.
The Drosophila segmentation gene fushi tarazu (ftz) encodes a homeodomain-containing protein, ftz, that can act as a DNA-binding activator of transcription. In the developing embryo, ftz is expressed in seven stripes which correspond to the even-numbered parasegments. These parasegments are missing in ftz- embryos. When ftz is expressed throughout blastoderm embryos under the control of a heat-shock promoter, the odd-numbered parasegments are lost. This 'anti-ftz' phenotype has been attributed to autoactivation of the endogenous ftz gene by the ectopically expressed protein. Here we show that the same phenotype is induced by ectopic expression of a ftz polypeptide containing a deletion in the homeodomain. Thus, ftz can alter gene expression without binding directly to DNA.
Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Charles H. Best Institute, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
V D
VD
Fitzpatrick
A
A
Percival-Smith
C J
CJ
Ingles
H M
HM
Krause
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002678:Chimera; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051717:Fushi Tarazu Transcription Factors; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010957:Plasmids; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D051717:Fushi Tarazu Transcription Factors; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007301:Insect Hormones; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C497169:ftz protein, Drosophila; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase