title: Regulation of sexual differentiation in D. melanogaster via alternative splicing of RNA from the transformer gene.
abstract: The transformer (tra) gene regulates female somatic sexual differentiation and has no known function in males. It gives rise to two sizes of RNA, one non-sex-specific and one female-specific. These two RNAs are shown to be present throughout the life cycle, and related by the use of alternative first intron splice acceptor sites. The non-sex-specific RNA has a 73 base first intron, while that in the female-specific RNA is 248 bases. The non-sex-specific RNA has no long open reading frame, while the female-specific RNA has a single long open reading frame beginning at the first AUG. Substitution of a heat shock promoter for the tra promoter still leads to female-specific differentiation of otherwise tra-females. We suggest a mechanism by which Sex-lethal controls itself and tra.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D004720:Endonucleases; D005260:Female; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011061:Poly A / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012733:Sex Differentiation; D015719:Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011061:Poly A; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D004720:Endonucleases; D015719:Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases