title: A unique Extradenticle recruitment mode in the Drosophila Hox protein Ultrabithorax.
abstract: Hox transcription factors are essential for shaping body morphology in development and evolution. The control of Hox protein activity in part arises from interaction with the PBC class of partners, pre-B cell transcription factor (Pbx) proteins in vertebrates and Extradenticle (Exd) in Drosophila. Characterized interactions occur through a single mode, involving a short hexapeptide motif in the Hox protein. This apparent uniqueness in Hox-PBC interaction provides little mechanistic insight in how the same cofactors endow Hox proteins with specific and diverse activities. Here, we identify in the Drosophila Ultrabithorax (Ubx) protein a short motif responsible for an alternative mode of Exd recruitment. Together with previous reports, this finding highlights that the Hox protein Ubx has multiple ways to interact with the Exd cofactor and suggests that flexibility in Hox-PBC contacts contributes to specify and diversify Hox protein function.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille Luminy, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de la Méditerranée, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France. merabet@ibdm.univ-mrs.fr
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merabet
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saadaoui
authors.forename: Nagraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sambrani
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hudry
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pradel
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Affolter
authors.forename: Yacine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Graba
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D021381:Protein Transport; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051943:Antennapedia Homeodomain Protein; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C066177:Ubx protein, Drosophila; C083405:exd protein, Drosophila