title: The relative expression amounts of apterous and its co-factor dLdb/Chip are critical for dorso-ventral compartmentalization in the Drosophila wing.
abstract: Dorso-ventral axis formation in the Drosophila wing requires the localized accumulation of the Apterous LIM/homeodomain protein (Ap) in dorsal cells. Here we report that dLdb/Chip encodes a LIM-binding cofactor that controls Ap activity. Both lack and excess of dLdb/Chip function cause the same phenotype as apterous (ap) lack of function; i.e. dorsal to ventral transformations, generation of new wing margins, and wing outgrowths. These results indicate that the normal function of Ap in dorso-ventral compartmentalization requires the correct amount of the DLDB/CHIP co-factor, and suggest that the Ap and DLDB/CHIP proteins form a multimeric functional complex. In support of this model, we show that the dLdb/Chip excess-of-function phenotypes can be rescued by ap overexpression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Fúnez
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Rincón-Limas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Bellido
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Botas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019521:Body Patterning; D004330:Drosophila / Q000254:growth & development; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015870:Gene Expression; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D051379:Mice; D009030:Mosaicism; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014921:Wings, Animal
chemical_list: C108740:Chi protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C074459:ap protein, Drosophila