title: The core promoter composition establishes a new dimension in developmental gene networks.
abstract: Developmental processes are highly dependent on transcriptional regulation by RNA polymerase II, which initiates transcription at the core promoter. The dorsal-ventral gene regulatory network (GRN) includes multiple genes that are activated by different nuclear concentrations of the Dorsal transcription factor along the dorsal-ventral axis. Downstream core promoter element (DPE)-containing genes are conserved and highly prevalent among Dorsal target genes. Moreover, the DPE motif is functional in multiple Dorsal target genes, as mutation of the DPE results in the loss of transcriptional activity. Furthermore, analysis of hybrid enhancer-promoter constructs reveals that the core promoter composition plays a pivotal role in the transcriptional output. Importantly, we provide in vivo evidence that expression driven by the homeotic Antennapedia P2 promoter during Drosophila embryogenesis is dependent on the DPE. Taken together, we propose that transcriptional regulation results from the interplay between enhancers and core promoter composition, thus establishing a novel dimension in developmental GRNs.
authors.affiliation: a The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences; Bar-Ilan University; Ramat Gan, Israel.
authors.forename: Yonathan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zehavi
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sloutskin
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kuznetsov
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Juven-Gershon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D050437:Genes, Developmental / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012319:RNA Polymerase II
keywords: DPE; Dorsal; Drosophila; RNA polymerase II; core promoter; development; gene expression; gene regulatory network; transcriptional regulation