title: Capicua is involved in Dorsal-mediated repression of zerknüllt expression in Drosophila embryo.
abstract: The maternal transcription factor Dorsal (Dl) functions as both an activator and a repressor in a context-dependent manner to control dorsal-ventral patterning in the Drosophila embryo. Previous studies have suggested that Dl is an intrinsic activator and its repressive activity requires additional corepressors that bind corepressor-binding sites near Dl-binding sites. However, the molecular identities of the corepressors have yet to be identified. Here, we present evidence that Capicua (Cic) is involved in Dl-mediated repression in the zerknüllt (zen) ventral repression element (VRE). Computational and genetic analyses indicate that a DNA-binding consensus sequence of Cic is highly analogous with previously identified corepressor-binding sequences and that Dl failed to repress zen expression in lateral regions of cic mutant embryos. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) shows that Cic directly interacts with several corepressor-binding sites in the zen VRE. These results suggest that Cic may function as a corepressor by binding the VRE.
authors: Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-702, Korea.
authors: Dong-Hyeon
authors: DH
authors: Shin
authors: Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-702, Korea.
authors: Joung-Woo
authors: JW
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000254:growth & development*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C085607:Zen protein, Drosophila; D004247:DNA