The cyclope gene of Drosophila encodes a cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIc homolog.
Cytochrome c oxidase is the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial electron transfer chain. In eukaryotes, the enzyme is composed of 3 mitochondrial DNA-encoded subunits and 7-10 (in mammals) nuclear DNA-encoded subunits. This enzyme has been extensively studied in mammals and yeast but, in Drosophila, very little is known and no mutant has been described so far. Here we report the genetic and molecular characterization of mutations in cyclope (cype) and the cloning of the gene encoding a cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIc homolog. cype is an essential gene whose mutations are lethal and show pleiotropic phenotypes. The 77-amino acid peptide encoded by cype is 46% identical and 59% similar to the human subunit (75 amino acids). The transcripts are expressed maternally and throughout development in localized regions. They are found predominantly in the central nervous system of the embryo; in the central region of imaginal discs; in the germarium, follicular, and nurse cells of the ovary; and in testis. A search in the Genome Annotation Database of Drosophila revealed the absence of subunit VIIb and the presence of 9 putative nuclear cytochrome c oxidase subunits with high identity scores when compared to the 10 human subunits.
Szuplewski
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Institut Jacques Monod, 75251 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Terracol
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D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D019992:Databases as Topic; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D015723:Gene Library; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007763:Lac Operon; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
C404795:COX6c protein, human; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; C439315:CYPE protein, Drosophila; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV