title: Transcriptional regulation of the Drosophila melanogaster muscle myosin heavy-chain gene.
abstract: We show that a 2.6kb fragment of the muscle myosin heavy-chain gene (Mhc) of Drosophila melanogaster (containing 458 base pairs of upstream sequence, the first exon, the first intron and the beginning of the second exon) drives expression in all muscles. Comparison of the minimal promoter to Mhc genes of 10 Drosophila species identified putative regulatory elements in the upstream region and in the first intron. The first intron is required for expression in four small cells of the tergal depressor of the trochanter (jump) muscle and in the indirect flight muscle. The 3'-end of this intron is important for Mhc transcription in embryonic body wall muscle and contains AT-rich elements that are protected from DNase I digestion by nuclear proteins of Drosophila embryos. Sequences responsible for expression in embryonic, adult body wall and adult head muscles are present both within and outside the intron. Elements important for expression in leg muscles and in the large cells of the jump muscle flank the intron. We conclude that multiple transcriptional regulatory elements are responsible for Mhc expression in specific sets of Drosophila muscles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Molecular Biology Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-4614, USA.
authors.forename: Norbert K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Phillip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Kien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Trinh
authors.forename: Massoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikkhoy
authors.forename: Sanford I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D024506:5' Flanking Region; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001482:Base Composition; D018983:DNA Footprinting; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007438:Introns; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D050436:Regulatory Elements, Transcriptional; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains