title: The essential Drosophila melanogaster gene wds (will die slowly) codes for a WD-repeat protein with seven repeats.
abstract: We have isolated and characterized the will die slowly (wds) gene of Drosophila melanogaster, formerly known as l(1)zw8 or l(1)3Ad. The gene codes for a 2.0-kb RNA that is transcribed at all stages of development. The RNA has been localized by in situ hybridization to imaginal discs, larval brain, to nurse cells in the ovary, and to spermatogonia and spermatocytes in the testis. The putative translation product contains seven WD-repeats and is, therefore, a new member of the family of WD-proteins. Clear homologues of the Drosophila WDS protein exist in three other fully sequenced higher eukaryotes - human, Caenorhabditis elegans and Arabidopsis. A genomic fragment containing the wds transcription unit is able to rescue two different lethal wds alleles, thus proving that we have indeed isolated the wds gene.
authors.affiliation: Entwicklungsbiologie, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hollmann
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simmerl
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schäfer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D020043:Genes, Essential; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; C114754:DmX protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger