Abstract
Mutations in the lawc gene result in a pleiotropic phenotype that includes homeotic transformation of the arista into leg. lawc mutations enhance the phenotype of trx-G mutations and suppress the phenotype of Pc mutations. Mutations in lawc affect homeotic gene transcription, causing ectopic expression of Antennapedia in the eye-antenna imaginal disc. These results suggest that lawc is a new member of the trithorax family. The lawc gene behaves as an enhancer of position-effect variegation and interacts genetically with mod(mdg4), which is a component of the gypsy insulator. In addition, mutations in the lawc gene cause alterations in the punctated distribution of mod(mdg4) protein within the nucleus. These results suggest that the lawc protein is involved in regulating the higher-order organization of chromatin.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (494.9 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Adamson A. L., Shearn A. Molecular genetic analysis of Drosophila ash2, a member of the trithorax group required for imaginal disc pattern formation. Genetics. 1996 Oct;144(2):621–633. doi: 10.1093/genetics/144.2.621. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Breen T. R., Harte P. J. Trithorax regulates multiple homeotic genes in the bithorax and Antennapedia complexes and exerts different tissue-specific, parasegment-specific and promoter-specific effects on each. Development. 1993 Jan;117(1):119–134. doi: 10.1242/dev.117.1.119. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Chung J. H., Bell A. C., Felsenfeld G. Characterization of the chicken beta-globin insulator. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jan 21;94(2):575–580. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.2.575. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dorn R., Krauss V., Reuter G., Saumweber H. The enhancer of position-effect variegation of Drosophila, E(var)3-93D, codes for a chromatin protein containing a conserved domain common to several transcriptional regulators. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Dec 1;90(23):11376–11380. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.23.11376. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Duncan I. M. Polycomblike: a gene that appears to be required for the normal expression of the bithorax and antennapedia gene complexes of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1982 Sep;102(1):49–70. doi: 10.1093/genetics/102.1.49. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dura J. M., Brock H. W., Santamaria P. Polyhomeotic: a gene of Drosophila melanogaster required for correct expression of segmental identity. Mol Gen Genet. 1985;198(2):213–220. doi: 10.1007/BF00382998. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Eissenberg J. C., James T. C., Foster-Hartnett D. M., Hartnett T., Ngan V., Elgin S. C. Mutation in a heterochromatin-specific chromosomal protein is associated with suppression of position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Dec;87(24):9923–9927. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.24.9923. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Elfring L. K., Daniel C., Papoulas O., Deuring R., Sarte M., Moseley S., Beek S. J., Waldrip W. R., Daubresse G., DePace A. Genetic analysis of brahma: the Drosophila homolog of the yeast chromatin remodeling factor SWI2/SNF2. Genetics. 1998 Jan;148(1):251–265. doi: 10.1093/genetics/148.1.251. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Farkas G., Gausz J., Galloni M., Reuter G., Gyurkovics H., Karch F. The Trithorax-like gene encodes the Drosophila GAGA factor. Nature. 1994 Oct 27;371(6500):806–808. doi: 10.1038/371806a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gdula D. A., Gerasimova T. I., Corces V. G. Genetic and molecular analysis of the gypsy chromatin insulator of Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Sep 3;93(18):9378–9383. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.18.9378. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gerasimova T. I., Corces V. G. Boundary and insulator elements in chromosomes. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 1996 Apr;6(2):185–192. doi: 10.1016/s0959-437x(96)80049-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gerasimova T. I., Corces V. G. Polycomb and trithorax group proteins mediate the function of a chromatin insulator. Cell. 1998 Feb 20;92(4):511–521. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80944-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gerasimova T. I., Gdula D. A., Gerasimov D. V., Simonova O., Corces V. G. A Drosophila protein that imparts directionality on a chromatin insulator is an enhancer of position-effect variegation. Cell. 1995 Aug 25;82(4):587–597. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(95)90031-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Geyer P. K., Corces V. G. DNA position-specific repression of transcription by a Drosophila zinc finger protein. Genes Dev. 1992 Oct;6(10):1865–1873. doi: 10.1101/gad.6.10.1865. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gindhart J. G., Jr, Kaufman T. C. Identification of Polycomb and trithorax group responsive elements in the regulatory region of the Drosophila homeotic gene Sex combs reduced. Genetics. 1995 Feb;139(2):797–814. doi: 10.1093/genetics/139.2.797. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hagstrom K., Muller M., Schedl P. Fab-7 functions as a chromatin domain boundary to ensure proper segment specification by the Drosophila bithorax complex. Genes Dev. 1996 Dec 15;10(24):3202–3215. doi: 10.1101/gad.10.24.3202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ingham P. W., Martinez-Arias A. The correct activation of Antennapedia and bithorax complex genes requires the fushi tarazu gene. Nature. 1986 Dec 11;324(6097):592–597. doi: 10.1038/324592a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jack J., Dorsett D., Delotto Y., Liu S. Expression of the cut locus in the Drosophila wing margin is required for cell type specification and is regulated by a distant enhancer. Development. 1991 Nov;113(3):735–747. doi: 10.1242/dev.113.3.735. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- James T. C., Elgin S. C. Identification of a nonhistone chromosomal protein associated with heterochromatin in Drosophila melanogaster and its gene. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Nov;6(11):3862–3872. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.11.3862. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kalos M., Fournier R. E. Position-independent transgene expression mediated by boundary elements from the apolipoprotein B chromatin domain. Mol Cell Biol. 1995 Jan;15(1):198–207. doi: 10.1128/mcb.15.1.198. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kaufman T. C., Lewis R., Wakimoto B. Cytogenetic Analysis of Chromosome 3 in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: The Homoeotic Gene Complex in Polytene Chromosome Interval 84a-B. Genetics. 1980 Jan;94(1):115–133. doi: 10.1093/genetics/94.1.115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kellum R., Schedl P. A position-effect assay for boundaries of higher order chromosomal domains. Cell. 1991 Mar 8;64(5):941–950. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90318-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kennison J. A., Tamkun J. W. Dosage-dependent modifiers of polycomb and antennapedia mutations in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Nov;85(21):8136–8140. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.21.8136. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kuziora M. A., McGinnis W. Different transcripts of the Drosophila Abd-B gene correlate with distinct genetic sub-functions. EMBO J. 1988 Oct;7(10):3233–3244. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03190.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lewis E. B. A gene complex controlling segmentation in Drosophila. Nature. 1978 Dec 7;276(5688):565–570. doi: 10.1038/276565a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mihaly J., Hogga I., Gausz J., Gyurkovics H., Karch F. In situ dissection of the Fab-7 region of the bithorax complex into a chromatin domain boundary and a Polycomb-response element. Development. 1997 May;124(9):1809–1820. doi: 10.1242/dev.124.9.1809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Orlando V., Paro R. Mapping Polycomb-repressed domains in the bithorax complex using in vivo formaldehyde cross-linked chromatin. Cell. 1993 Dec 17;75(6):1187–1198. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90328-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Roseman R. R., Pirrotta V., Geyer P. K. The su(Hw) protein insulates expression of the Drosophila melanogaster white gene from chromosomal position-effects. EMBO J. 1993 Feb;12(2):435–442. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05675.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shearn A. The ash-1, ash-2 and trithorax genes of Drosophila melanogaster are functionally related. Genetics. 1989 Mar;121(3):517–525. doi: 10.1093/genetics/121.3.517. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Struhl G. A gene product required for correct initiation of segmental determination in Drosophila. Nature. 1981 Sep 3;293(5827):36–41. doi: 10.1038/293036a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tsai S. F., Jang C. C., Prikhod'ko G. G., Bessarab D. A., Tang C. Y., Pflugfelder G. O., Sun Y. H. Gypsy retrotransposon as a tool for the in vivo analysis of the regulatory region of the optomotor-blind gene in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Apr 15;94(8):3837–3841. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.8.3837. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tsukiyama T., Becker P. B., Wu C. ATP-dependent nucleosome disruption at a heat-shock promoter mediated by binding of GAGA transcription factor. Nature. 1994 Feb 10;367(6463):525–532. doi: 10.1038/367525a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zhou J., Barolo S., Szymanski P., Levine M. The Fab-7 element of the bithorax complex attenuates enhancer-promoter interactions in the Drosophila embryo. Genes Dev. 1996 Dec 15;10(24):3195–3201. doi: 10.1101/gad.10.24.3195. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]