Multiple protein functions of paired in Drosophila development and their conservation in the Gooseberry and Pax3 homologs.
The Drosophila segmentation gene paired, whose product is homologous to the Drosophila Gooseberry and mammalian Pax3 proteins, has three general functions: proper development of the larval cuticle, survival to adulthood and male fertility. Both DNA-binding domains, the conserved N-terminal paired-domain and prd-type homeodomain, are required within the same molecule for all general paired functions, whereas a conserved His-Pro repeat located near its C terminus is a transactivation domain potentiating these functions. The C-terminal moiety of Paired includes two additional functional motifs: one, also present in Gooseberry and Pax3, is required for segmentation and cuticle development; the other, retained only in Gooseberry, is necessary for survival. The male fertility function, which cannot be replaced by Gooseberry and Pax3, is specified by the conserved N-terminal rather than the divergent C-terminal moiety of Paired. We conclude that the functional diversification of paired, gooseberry and Pax3, primarily determined by variations in their enhancers, is modified by adaptations of their coding regions as a necessary consequence of their newly acquired spatiotemporal expression.
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Institute for Molecular Biology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
Li
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Noll
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D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D020043:Genes, Essential / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000072041:PAX3 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; D010641:Phenotype; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000072041:PAX3 Transcription Factor; C489409:PAX3 protein, human; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C489936:Prrx1 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C047663:cuticle proteins, insects; C404810:gsb protein, Drosophila; C489935:prd protein, Drosophila; C068686:Pax3 protein, mouse