title: Identification of drosophila bicoid-interacting proteins using a custom two-hybrid selection.
abstract: Bicoid directs pattern formation in the developing Drosophila embryo, and does so by performing two seemingly unrelated tasks; it activates transcription and represses translation. To understand how Bicoid carries out this dual role, we sought to identify Bicoid-ancillary proteins that might mediate Bicoid's function in transcription or translation. We used a customized version of the two-hybrid method and found two Bicoid-interacting proteins, Bin1 and Bin3, both of which interact with Bicoid in vitro. Bin1 is similar to a human protein (SAP18) involved in transcription regulation, and Bin3, described in this paper, is similar to a family of protein methyltransferases that modify RNA-binding proteins. Given that Bicoid's role as a translation regulator requires RNA binding, we suggest that the Bicoid-interacting methyltransferase might be important for that role. The custom two-hybrid method we used, in which Bicoid is bound to DNA via its own DNA binding domain, rather than via a fusion-protein tether, should be generally applicable to other DNA binding proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hanes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: C498649:ATG16 protein, S cerevisiae; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C056478:bcd protein, Drosophila; C407043:bicoid interacting protein 1, Drosophila; C498652:bicoid-interacting protein 3, Drosophila; D008780:Methyltransferases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C498654:bicoid-interacting protein 4, Drosophila