Sequence of the Tribolium castaneum homeotic complex: the region corresponding to the Drosophila melanogaster antennapedia complex.
The homeotic selector genes of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, are located in a single cluster. We have sequenced the region containing the homeotic selector genes required for proper development of the head and anterior thorax, which is the counterpart of the ANTC in Drosophila. This 280-kb interval contains eight homeodomain-encoding genes, including single orthologs of the Drosophila genes labial, proboscipedia, Deformed, Sex combs reduced, fushi tarazu, and Antennapedia, as well as two orthologs of zerknüllt. These genes are all oriented in the same direction, as are the Hox genes of amphioxus, mice, and humans. Although each transcription unit is similar to its Drosophila counterpart in size, the Tribolium genes contain fewer introns (with the exception of the two zerknüllt genes), produce shorter mRNAs, and encode smaller proteins. Unlike the ANTC, this region of the Tribolium HOMC contains no additional genes.
Brown
Susan J
SJ
Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA. sjbrown@ksu.edu
Fellers
John P
JP
Shippy
Teresa D
TD
Richardson
Elizabeth A
EA
Maxwell
Mark
M
Stuart
Jeffery J
JJ
Denell
Robin E
RE
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014231:Tribolium / Q000235:genetics*
D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein; C497974:Antp protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C085607:Zen protein, Drosophila