Premium
Differential regulation of the two transcripts from the Drosophila gap segmentation gene hunchback.
Author(s) -
Schröder C.,
Tautz D.,
Seifert E.,
Jäckle H.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03145.x
Subject(s) - biology , gap gene , genetics , differential (mechanical device) , gene , drosophila melanogaster , drosophila (subgenus) , drosophilidae , regulation of gene expression , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , evolutionary biology , engineering , aerospace engineering
The Drosophila gap gene hunchback (hb) is required for the establishment of the anterior segment pattern of the embryo, and also for a small region of the posterior segment pattern. The hb gene encodes two transcripts from two promoters which show a differential regulation, although they code for the same protein product. The 3.2‐kb transcript is expressed during oogenesis and forms an anterior‐posterior gradient during the early stages of development. The first zygotic expression of hb during cleavage stages 11‐12 is due to the 2.9‐kb transcript. Its expression is under the control of the anterior pattern organizer gene bicoid (bcd) and it appears to be necessary and sufficient for the anterior segmentation. The 3.2‐kb transcript is expressed again at syncytial blastoderm stage in the anterior yolk nuclei, as well as in an anterior stripe which is posteriorly adjacent to the domain of the 2.9‐kb transcript, and as a posterior stripe. Using hb‐promoter/lacZ fusion gene constructs in combination with germ line transformation, we have delimited a regulatory region for the 2.9‐kb transcript to approximately 300 bp upstream of the site of transcription initiation and show that this region is sufficient to confer the full regulation by bcd.