title: Impact of Ultrabithorax alternative splicing on Drosophila embryonic nervous system development.
abstract: Hox genes control divergent segment identities along the anteroposterior body axis of bilateral animals by regulating a large number of processes in a cell context-specific manner. How Hox proteins achieve this functional diversity is a long-standing question in developmental biology. In this study we investigate the role of alternative splicing in functional specificity of the Drosophila Hox gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx). We focus specifically on the embryonic central nervous system (CNS) and provide a description of temporal expression patterns of three major Ubx isoforms during development of this tissue. These analyses imply distinct functions for individual isoforms in different stages of neural development. We also examine the set of Ubx isoforms expressed in two isoform-specific Ubx mutant strains and analyze for the first time the effects of splicing defects on regional neural stem cell (neuroblast) identity. Our findings support the notion of specific isoforms having different effects in providing individual neuroblasts with positional identity along the anteroposterior body axis, as well as being involved in regulation of progeny cell fate.
authors: Institute of Genetics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors: Aenne
authors: A
authors: Geyer
authors: Institute of Genetics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors: Ioanna
authors: I
authors: Koltsaki
authors: Institute of Genetics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Hessinger
authors: Institute of Genetics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Renner
authors: Institute of Genetics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. Electronic address: rogulja@uni-mainz.de.
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Rogulja-Ortmann
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D005801:Genes, Homeobox / Q000235:genetics; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Alternative splicing; CNS development; Hox genes; Neuroblast identity; Ultrabithorax