Immunochemical dissection of the Ultrabithorax homeoprotein family in Drosophila melanogaster.

AUTOR(ES)

Lopez, A J

RESUMO

The homeotic gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx) specifies metameric identities in multiple tissues of the thorax and abdomen in Drosophila melanogaster. Alternatively spliced Ultrabithorax mRNAs encode five protein isoforms that differ in internal sequences immediately adjacent to a homeodomain DNA-binding motif. Each of these proteins is phosphorylated in vivo at multiple serine and threonine residues. An extensive panel of monoclonal antibodies was raised against the Ultrabithorax proteins, including antibodies specific for individual isoforms and antibodies that discriminated between different phosphorylation states. Characterization of these antibodies provided insights into shared and isoform-specific features of Ultrabithorax protein structure that may be functionally important. Immunohistochemical staining experiments demonstrated that each isoform is expressed in a different stage- and tissue-specific pattern and suggested that Ultrabithorax protein phosphorylation is also developmentally regulated. These results support the hypothesis that alternative splicing and phosphorylation modulate developmentally specific functions of the Ubx gene.

Documentos Relacionados

• A family of dynein genes in Drosophila melanogaster.
• Interactions of Polycomb and trithorax with cis regulatory regions of Ultrabithorax during the development of Drosophila melanogaster.
• The structure of the Ultrabithorax promoter of Drosophila melanogaster
• Transvection in the Ultrabithorax Domain of the Bithorax Complex of Drosophila Melanogaster
• Molecular organization of the vestigial region in Drosophila melanogaster.