Sex-specific splicing and polyadenylation of dsx pre-mRNA requires a sequence that binds specifically to tra-2 protein in vitro.
Somatic sex determination in Drosophila involves a hierarchy of regulated alternative pre-mRNA processing. Female-specific splicing and/or polyadenylation of doublesex (dsx) pre-mRNA, the final gene in this pathway, requires transformer (tra) and transformer-2 (tra-2) proteins. The mechanisms by which these proteins regulate RNA processing has not been characterized. In this paper we show that tra-2 produced in Escherichia coli binds specifically to a site within the female-specific exon of dsx pre-mRNA. This site, which contains six copies of a 13 nucleotide repeat, is required not only for female-specific splicing, but also for female-specific polyadenylation. These observations suggest that tra-2 is a positive regulator of dsx pre-mRNA processing.
Harvard University, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
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D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D011061:Poly A / Q000235:genetics*; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015347:RNA Probes; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012322:RNA Precursors; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; C066174:tra2 protein, Drosophila; D011061:Poly A