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. 1996 Apr;142(4):1157–1168. doi: 10.1093/genetics/142.4.1157

Structure and Expression of Wild-Type and Suppressible Alleles of the Drosophila Purple Gene

N Kim 1, J Kim 1, D Park 1, C Rosen 1, D Dorsett 1, J Yim 1
PMCID: PMC1207115  PMID: 8846895

Abstract

Viable mutant alleles of purple (pr), such as pr(bw), exhibit mutant eye colors. This reflects low 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin (PTP) synthase activity required for pigment synthesis. PTP synthase is also required for synthesis of the enzyme cofactor biopterin; presumably this is why some pr alleles are lethal. The pr(bw) eye color phenotype is suppressed by suppressor of sable [su(s)] mutations. The pr gene was cloned to explore the mechanism of this suppression. pr produces two PTP synthase mRNAs: one constitutively from a distal promoter and one in late pupae and young adult heads from a proximal promoter. The latter presumably supports eye pigment synthesis. The pr(bw) allele has a 412 retrotransposon in an intron spliced from both mRNAs. However, the head-specific mRNA is reduced >10-fold in pr(bw) and is restored by a su(s) mutation, while the constitutive transcript is barely affected. The Su(s) protein probably alters processing of RNA containing 412. Because the intron containing 412 is the first in the head-specific mRNA and the second in the constitutive mRNA, binding of splicing machinery to nascent transcripts before the 412 insertion is transcribed may preclude the effects of Su(s) protein.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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