Fruitless Represses robo1 Transcription to Shape Male-Specific Neural Morphology and Behavior in Drosophila.
The Drosophila fruitless (fru) gene is regarded as a master regulator of the formation of male courtship circuitry, yet little is known about its molecular basis of action. We show that roundabout 1 (robo1) knockdown in females promotes formation of the male-specific neurite in sexually dimorphic mAL interneurons and that overexpression of the male-specific Fru(BM) diminishes the expression of Robo1 in the fly brain. Our electrophoretic mobility shift and reporter assays identify the 42-bp segment encompassing the palindrome sequence T T C G C T G C G C C G T G A A in the 5' UTR of robo1 exon1 as the Fru(BM)-responsive element. We find that ∼10-bp deletions in the palindrome sequence induce a loss of the male-specific neurite and disrupt male courtship patterns. This study paves the way for a thorough understanding of the mechanism whereby Fru proteins orchestrate transcription for the formation of courtship circuitry.
Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
Hiroki
H
Ito
Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
Kosei
K
Sato
National Institute of Genetics, Mishima 411-8540, Japan.
Shu
S
Kondo
National Institute of Genetics, Mishima 411-8540, Japan.
Ryu
R
Ueda
Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai 980-8577, Japan. Electronic address: daichan@m.tohoku.ac.jp.
Daisuke
D
Yamamoto
D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development*; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000097905:Roundabout Proteins
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000097905:Roundabout Proteins; C103226:fru protein, Drosophila