The product of proliferation disrupter is concentrated at centromeres and required for mitotic chromosome condensation and cell proliferation in Drosophila.
Homozygosity for a null mutation in the proliferation disrupter (prod) gene of Drosophila causes decreased mitotic index, defects of anaphase chromatid separation, and imperfect chromosome condensation in larval neuroblasts and other proliferating cell populations. The defective condensation is especially obvious near the centromeres. Mutant larvae show slow growth and massive cell death in proliferating cell populations, followed by late larval lethality. Loss of prod function in mitotic clones leads to the arrest of oogenesis in the ovary and defective cuticle formation in imaginal disc derivatives. The prod gene encodes a novel 301-amino-acid protein that is ubiquitously expressed and highly concentrated at the centric heterochromatin of the second and third mitotic chromosomes, as well as at > 400 euchromatic loci on polytene chromosomes. We propose that Prod is a nonhistone protein essential for chromosome condensation and that the chromosomal and developmental defects are caused by incomplete centromere condensation in prod mutants.
Török
T
T
Developmental Biology Center, University of California at Irvine, 92717, USA.
Harvie
P D
PD
Buratovich
M
M
Bryant
P J
PJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000705:Anaphase; D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death; D002503:Centromere / Q000378:metabolism*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D008677:Metaphase; D008938:Mitosis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009866:Oogenesis; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C103826:prod protein, Drosophila