title: On the conservation of function of the Drosophila fat facets deubiquitinating enzyme and Fam, its mouse homolog.
abstract: Fat facets is a Drosophila deubiquitinating enzyme required for eye development and early embryogenesis. Genetic evidence suggests that Fat facets deubiquitinates and thereby prevents the proteasomal degradation of specific substrates. The Drosophila Liquid facets protein is implicated as the critical substrate of Fat facets in the eye. A mouse homolog of Fat facets, called Fam, has been identified. The results of biochemical experiments implicate two different proteins, Af-6 and beta-catenin, as substrates for Fam. Here, the functional relationship between Fat facets and Fam is explored. We show that Fam can substitute for Fat facets in all of its essential functions in Drosophila. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that Canoe and Armadillo, the Drosophila homologs of Af-6 and beta-catenin, respectively, are important substrates for Fat facets in the Drosophila eye. We found no genetic evidence to support a role for either Canoe or Armadillo in the essential Fat facets pathways in Drosophila eye development. The significance of these results is discussed in light of the biochemical experiments that suggest that Af-6 and beta-catenin are substrates of Fam.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Moffett Molecular Biology Building, 2500 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Overstreet
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005123:Eye / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014452:Ubiquitins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase; C404328:Usp9x protein, mouse; C059237:ubiquitin-Nalpha-protein hydrolase