daughterless, a Drosophila gene essential for both neurogenesis and sex determination, has sequence similarities to myc and the achaete-scute complex.
daughterless (da) has multiple functions in Drosophila embryonic development: maternal da activity is necessary for proper sex determination, and zygotic da activity is necessary for formation of the peripheral nervous system. We have cloned the region containing da and have found that five recessive lethal da mutations map to a single transcription unit. A predicted protein product of this transcription unit has sequence similarities with the oncogene myc, with the gene MyoD1, which is involved in myoblast determination, and with the Drosophila achaete-scute complex, which is involved in neuronal precursor determination. The role of da as a gene controlling cell determination in multiple developmental pathways is discussed.
Caudy
M
M
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
Vässin
H
H
Brand
M
M
Tuma
R
R
Jan
L Y
LY
Jan
Y N
YN
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D009857:Oncogenes; D012733:Sex Differentiation; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015053:Zygote