Drosophila Jing is part of the breathless fibroblast growth factor receptor positive feedback loop.
In the developing Drosophila trachea, extensive cell migration lays the foundation for an elaborate network of tubules to form. This process is controlled by the Drosophila fibroblast growth factor receptor, known as Breathless (Btl), whose expression is activated by the Trachealess (Trh) and Tango (Tgo) basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-PAS transcription factors. We previously identified the jing zinc finger transcription factor as a gene sensitive to the dosage of bHLH-PAS transcriptional activity and showed that its mutations interact genetically with those of trh and btl. Here, we demonstrate that jing is required for btl expression in the branching trachea and dominantly interacts with known regulators of btl expression, including the ETS and POU transcription factors, pointed, and drifter/ventral veinless, respectively. Furthermore, the zinc finger-containing C-terminus of Jing associates with a btl tracheal enhancer in a Trh/Tgo-dependent manner in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in vitro and interferes with btl in vitro and in vivo. Together, our results support a model by which Jing/Trh/Tgo complexes regulate btl transcript levels during primary tracheal branching.
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. msonnenf@hotmail.com
Margaret
M
Sonnenfeld
Tatiana
T
Morozova
Joanne
J
Hackett
Xuetao
X
Sun
D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D050809:POU Domain Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014132:Trachea / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C421383:JING protein, Drosophila; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D050809:POU Domain Factors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; C083884:pnt protein, Drosophila; C091575:vvl protein, Drosophila; C102301:BTL protein, Drosophila; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases