Open AccessA Functional Analysis of Notch Mutations in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Keith Brennan,
Richard Tateson,
K. L. Lewis,
Alfonso Martínez Arias
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.792
H-Index - 246
eISSN - 1943-2631
pISSN - 0016-6731
DOI - 10.1093/genetics/147.1.177
Subject(s) - notch signaling pathway , biology , genetics , allele , lateral inhibition , cyclin dependent kinase 8 , neurogenesis , gene , notch proteins , function (biology) , proneural genes , mutation , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription factor
The Notch gene encodes a receptor protein that is involved in many processes during development. Its best understood role is during neurogenesis in a process called "lateral inhibition." However, it has been proposed that Notch also has a role in defining the proneural clusters in the first place. This raises the possibility that the Notch protein is acting as a multifunctional receptor. To test this hypothesis, we have carried out a genetic analysis of molecularly characterized Notch alleles to identify alleles that affect only one of the two proposed functions. Here we present evidence that Notch alleles can be identified that appear to affect the function of Notch during either lateral inhibition or the definition of proneural clusters. In addition our results indicate that there may be discrete regions of the Notch protein required for each function.