title: Molecular characterization of Drosophila gene encoding G0 alpha subunit homolog.
abstract: A Drosophila melanogaster gene (dgo) encoding a G protein alpha subunit has been isolated by screening genomic and adult head cDNA libraries using bovine transducin alpha subunit cDNA as probe. The gene, which maps to 47A on the second chromosome, encodes two proteins which are both 354 amino acids long but differ in seven amino acids in the amino-terminal region. The deduced amino acid sequences of the two proteins are 81% identical to that of a rat Go alpha subunit. Analysis of genomic clones revealed that there are eight coding exons and that the putative transcripts for the two proteins differ in the 5'-noncoding regions and the first coding exons but share the remaining six coding exons. The arrangement of two different 5'-noncoding regions on the gene suggests that two different promoters regulate the expression of the transcripts encoding the two proteins. RNA blot analysis detected three transcripts: a 3.9-kilobase (kb) transcript found at all stages of development; a 5.4-kb transcript present predominantly in adult heads; and a 3.4-kb transcript present only in adult bodies. In situ hybridizations of a cDNA probe to adult tissue sections showed that the gene is expressed abundantly in neuronal cell bodies in the brain, optic lobe, and thoracic ganglia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Shortridge
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Bloomquist
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schneuwly
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Perdew
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Pak
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015342:DNA Probes; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012326:RNA Splicing; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015293:Transducin / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004247:DNA; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D015293:Transducin