A novel Drosophila paired-like homeobox gene related to Caenorhabditis elegans unc-4 is expressed in subsets of postmitotic neurons and epidermal cells.
We have isolated a novel Drosophila paired-like homeobox gene, DPHD-1. The homeodomain of DPHD-1 showed 85% amino-acid identity with that of the C. elegans Unc-4 protein. Whole-mount in situ hybridization of embryos and third-instar larvae revealed that the DPHD-1 mRNA is specifically localized in subsets of postmitotic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and in the developing epidermis with a segmentally repeated pattern. Double staining with a posterior compartment marker, an anti-Engrailed antibody, showed that DPHD-1 expressing neurons in the CNS were present in the posterior compartment, whereas DPHD-1 expression in the epidermis was restricted to the anterior compartment in each segment. This temporal and spatial expression pattern suggests that DPHD-1 may play a role in determining the distinct cell types in each segment.
Tabuchi
K
K
Department of Neuroanatomy, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Yoshikawa
S
S
Yuasa
Y
Y
Sawamoto
K
K
Okano
H
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007814:Larva; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C117626:UNC-4 protein, Drosophila; C073171:unc-4 protein, C elegans