Regulation of transcription of meiotic cell cycle and terminal differentiation genes by the testis-specific Zn-finger protein matotopetli.
A robust developmentally regulated and cell type specific transcriptional programme is activated in primary spermatocytes in preparation for differentiation of the male gametes during spermatogenesis. Work in Drosophila is beginning to reveal the genetic networks that regulate this gene expression. The Drosophila aly-class meiotic arrest loci are essential for activation of transcription of many differentiation-specific genes, as well as several genes important for meiotic cell cycle progression, thus linking meiotic cell cycle progression to cellular differentiation during spermatogenesis. The three previously described aly-class proteins (aly, comr and achi/vis) form a complex and are associated with chromatin in primary spermatocytes. We identify, clone and characterize a new aly-class meiotic arrest gene, matotopetli (topi), which encodes a testis-specific Zn-finger protein that physically interacts with Comr. The topi mutant phenotype is most like achi/vis in that topi function is not required for the nuclear localization of Aly or Comr, but is required for their accumulation on chromatin. Most target genes in the transcriptional programme depend on both topi and achi/vis; however, a small subset of target genes are differentially sensitive to loss of topi or achi/vis, suggesting that these aly-class predicted DNA binding proteins can act independently in some contexts.
Perezgasga
Lucia
L
Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Beckman Center B300, 279 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA.
Jiang
JianQiao
J
Bolival
Benjamin
B
Hiller
Mark
M
Benson
Elizabeth
E
Fuller
Margaret T
MT
White-Cooper
Helen
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013087:Spermatids / Q000502:physiology; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000502:physiology; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000502:physiology*
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C418886:aly protein, Drosophila; C471972:comr protein, Drosophila; C486226:topi protein, Drosophila