title: The amino-terminal region of Drosophila MSL1 contains basic, glycine-rich, and leucine zipper-like motifs that promote X chromosome binding, self-association, and MSL2 binding, respectively.
abstract: In Drosophila melanogaster, X chromosome dosage compensation is achieved by doubling the transcription of most X-linked genes. The male-specific lethal (MSL) complex is required for this process and binds to hundreds of sites on the male X chromosome. The MSL1 protein is essential for X chromosome binding and serves as a central scaffold for MSL complex assembly. We find that the amino-terminal region of MSL1 binds to hundreds of sites on the X chromosome in normal males but only to approximately 30 high-affinity sites in the absence of endogenous MSL1. Binding to the high-affinity sites requires a basic motif at the amino terminus that is conserved among Drosophila species. X chromosome binding also requires a conserved leucine zipper-like motif that binds to MSL2. A glycine-rich motif between the basic and leucine-zipper-like motifs mediates MSL1 self-association in vitro and binding of the amino-terminal region of MSL1 to the MSL complex assembled on the male X chromosome. We propose that the basic region may mediate DNA binding and that the glycine-rich region may promote the association of MSL complexes to closely adjacent sites on the X chromosome.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Functional Genomics, Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: David A D
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.forename: Maxwell J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005998:Glycine / Q000737:chemistry; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C082132:msl-1 protein, Drosophila; C094166:msl-2 protein, Drosophila; D004247:DNA; D005998:Glycine