Differential requirements for the Pax6(5a) genes eyegone and twin of eyegone during eye development in Drosophila.
In eye development the tasks of tissue specification and cell proliferation are regulated, in part, by the Pax6 and Pax6(5a) proteins respectively. In vertebrates, Pax6(5a) is generated as an alternately spliced isoform of Pax6. This stands in contrast to the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which has two Pax6(5a) homologs that are encoded by the eyegone and twin of eyegone genes. In this report we set out to determine the respective contributions that each gene makes to the development of the fly retina. Here we demonstrate that both eyg and toe encode transcriptional repressors, are expressed in identical patterns but at significantly different levels. We further show, through a molecular dissection of both proteins, that Eyg makes differential use of several domains when compared to Toe and that the number of repressor domains also differs between the two Pax6(5a) homologs. We predict that these results will have implications for elucidating the functional differences between closely related members of other Pax subclasses.
Yao
Jih-Guang
JG
Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan, ROC.
Weasner
Bonnie M
BM
Wang
Lan-Hsin
LH
Jang
Chuen-Chuen
CC
Weasner
Brandon
B
Tang
Chiou-Yang
CY
Salzer
Claire L
CL
Chen
Chun-Hong
CH
Hay
Bruce
B
Sun
Y Henry
YH
Kumar
Justin P
JP
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D000071841:PAX6 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; D000071841:PAX6 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C477040:eyg protein, Drosophila; D004247:DNA