Regulation of sex-specific RNA splicing at the Drosophila doublesex gene: cis-acting mutations in exon sequences alter sex-specific RNA splicing patterns.
Sex-specific alternative RNA splicing of the doublesex (dsx) pre-mRNA results in sex-specific polypeptides that regulate both male and female somatic sexual differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster. We have molecularly characterized a class of dsx mutations that act in cis to disrupt the regulation of dsx RNA processing, causing the dsx pre-mRNA to be spliced in the male-specific pattern regardless of the chromosomal sex of the fly. These dsx mutations are associated with rearrangements in the female-specific exon just 3' to the female-specific splice acceptor. The mutations do not affect the female-specific splice sites or intron that are identical to wild-type sequences. These results indicate that sequences in the female-specific exon are important for the regulation of sex-specific RNA splicing, perhaps by acting as sites of interaction with trans-acting regulators. Furthermore, the data suggest that female-specific regulation of dsx RNA processing occurs by promoting the usage of the female splice acceptor site, rather than by repressing the usage of the alternative male-specific splice acceptor.
Nagoshi
R N
RN
Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305-5020.
Baker
B S
BS
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements