title: opa: a novel family of transcribed repeats shared by the Notch locus and other developmentally regulated loci in D. melanogaster.
abstract: The principal transcription product of Notch, a locus involved in the neurogenesis of D. melanogaster, is a developmentally regulated poly(A)+ RNA approximately 10.5 kb in length. Analysis of the structure of this RNA has revealed a 93 bp repeated sequence that is shared by many other developmentally regulated transcription units. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the repeat shows an unusual structure consisting predominantly of the triplets CAG and CAA, both of which can code for the amino acid Gln. We present evidence indicating that the Notch repeat is a member of a novel family of repetitive elements, which we term the opa family. Our data suggest that some of these elements may be not only transcribed but also translated. We compare opa with other known transcribed repeats and speculate on its functional significance.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Wharton
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yedvobnick
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Finnerty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Artavanis-Tsakonas
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes