Drosophila Blimp-1 is a transient transcriptional repressor that controls timing of the ecdysone-induced developmental pathway.
Regulatory mechanisms controlling the timing of developmental events are crucial for proper development to occur. ftz-f1 is expressed in a temporally regulated manner following pulses of ecdysteroid and this precise expression is necessary for the development of Drosophila melanogaster. To understand how insect hormone ecdysteroids regulate the timing of FTZ-F1 expression, we purified a DNA binding regulator of ftz-f1. Mass spectroscopy analysis revealed this protein to be a fly homolog of mammalian B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp-1). Drosophila Blimp-1 (dBlimp-1) is induced directly by 20-hydroxyecdysone, and its product exists during high-ecdysteroid periods and turns over rapidly. Forced expression of dBlimp-1 and RNA interference analysis indicate that dBlimp-1 acts as a repressor and controls the timing of FTZ-F1 expression. Furthermore, its prolonged expression results in delay of pupation timing. These results suggest that the transient transcriptional repressor dBlimp-1 is important for determining developmental timing in the ecdysone-induced pathway.
Agawa
Yasuo
Y
Department of Developmental Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.
Sarhan
Moustafa
M
Kageyama
Yuji
Y
Akagi
Kazutaka
K
Takai
Masayoshi
M
Hashiyama
Kazuya
K
Wada
Tadashi
T
Handa
Hiroshi
H
Iwamatsu
Akihiro
A
Hirose
Susumu
S
Ueda
Hitoshi
H
D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002457:Cell Extracts; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology*; D004440:Ecdysone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011679:Pupa / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects
C525044:Blimp-1 protein, Drosophila; D002457:Cell Extracts; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C499712:nuclear hormone receptor FTZ-F1, Drosophila; D004440:Ecdysone