title: Functional domains in the Deformed protein.
abstract: A chimeric protein consisting of Deformed with a substituted Abdominal-B homeodomain (Dfd/Abd-B) is used to identify protein domains outside the homeodomain that are required for regulatory activity in vivo. A series of deletion proteins were generated based on regions showing amino acid composition similar to known regulatory domains. Each mutant protein can influence regulation of homeotic genes in a manner distinct from the intact protein. Activity was also tested using promoter elements from empty spiracles and Distal-less, two genes known to be directly regulated by Abdominal-B. Removal of the acidic region and the C-tail region convert the chimera from a strong activator to a repressor of the Distal-less element, but had comparatively little effect on the activation of the empty spiracles element. Constructs without a third domain, the N domain, fail to show any regulatory activity. The N domain is the only domain of the Dfd/Abd-B protein which exhibits significant activation activity when fused to a heterologous DNA binding domain. Our results suggest transcriptional activity of the N domain can be modulated by the acidic and C-tail domains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kuziora
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D000099260:Empty Spiracles Homeobox Proteins
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C062393:Abd-B proteins, Drosophila; C066676:Dfd protein, Drosophila; C093054:ems protein, Drosophila; D000099260:Empty Spiracles Homeobox Proteins