title: The embryonic transcription factor Zelda of Drosophila melanogaster is also expressed in larvae and may regulate developmentally important genes.
abstract: The transcription factor Zelda plays a pivotal role in promoting the maternal to zygotic transition during embryogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. However, little is known about its role later in development. Here we are showing that Zelda is essential for proper wing development through gain and loss of function experiments. Zelda's transcript variants RB, RC and RD are present in imaginal wing discs of third instar larvae and the production of 2 protein isoforms of ∼180 and ∼70kD was detected in the same tissue. In ChIP experiments using larval wing discs, Zelda was found to bind to a region of the optomotor-blind gene, suggesting an interaction with a Dpp target that promotes wing growth and patterning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15701 Athens, Greece. pangiannios@biol.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giannios
authors.forename: Sonia G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Tsitilou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011485:Protein Binding; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000502:physiology; D034622:RNA Interference; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014157:Transcription Factors; C512295:zld protein, Drosophila
keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; Larval wing disc; Zelda (Zld)