Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1980 Nov;77(11):6700–6704. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.11.6700

Synthesis of a posterior indicator protein in normal embryos and double abdomens of Smittia sp. (Chironomidae, Diptera).

H Jäckle, K Kalthoff
PMCID: PMC350356  PMID: 6935679

Abstract

In embryos of the chironomid midge Smittia, synthesis of a posterior indicator protein designated PI1 (Mr approximately 50,000; pI approximately 5.5) forecasts development of an abdomen as opposed to head and thorax. The protein is synthesized several hours before germ anlage formation. In normal embryos at early blastoderm stages, synthesis of PI1 is restricted to posterior embryonic fragments but not to pole cells. In "double-abdomen" embryos, a mirror-image duplication of the abdomen is formed by cells that would otherwise develop into head and thorax. Embryos were programmed for double-abdomen development by UV irradiation of the anterior pole, and half of them were reprogrammed for normal development by subsequent exposure to visible light (photoreversal). Correspondingly, PI1 was synthesized in anterior fragments of UV-irradiated embryos but not after photoreversal. In a control experiment, UV irradiation of the posterior pole caused neither double-abdomen formation nor PI1 synthesis in anterior fragments. The identity of PI1 formed in anterior fragments of prospective double abdomens with the protein found in posterior fragments was revealed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and limited proteolysis. Suppression of PI1 synthesis in anterior fragments of normal embryos is ascribed to the activity of cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein particles thought to act as anterior determinants.

Full text

PDF
6700

Images in this article

6701Image
on p.6701
6702Image
on p.6702
6703Image
on p.6703
6703Image
on p.6703

Selected References

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

  1. Cleveland D. W., Fischer S. G., Kirschner M. W., Laemmli U. K. Peptide mapping by limited proteolysis in sodium dodecyl sulfate and analysis by gel electrophoresis. J Biol Chem. 1977 Feb 10;252(3):1102–1106. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Davidson E. H. Note on the control of gene expression during development. J Theor Biol. 1971 Jul;32(1):123–130. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(71)90140-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Donohoo P., Kafatos F. C. Differences in the proteins synthesized by the progeny of the first two blastomeres of Iiyanassa, a "mosaic" embryo. Dev Biol. 1973 May;32(1):224–229. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(73)90236-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Graziosi G., Roberts D. B. Molecular anisotropy of the early Drosophila embryo. Nature. 1975 Nov 13;258(5531):157–159. doi: 10.1038/258157a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jackle H., Kalthoff K. Photoreactivation of RNA in UV-irradiated insect eggs (Smittia sp., Chironomidae, Diptera) I. Photosensitized production and light-dependent disappearance of pyrimidine dimers. Photochem Photobiol. 1978 Mar;27(3):309–315. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1978.tb07605.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kalthoff K., Hanel P., Zissler D. A morphogenetic determinant in the anterior pole of an insect egg (Smittia spec., Chironomidae, Diptera): localization by combined centrifugation and ultraviolet irradiation. Dev Biol. 1977 Feb;55(2):285–305. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(77)90173-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kalthoff K., Urban K., Jackle H. Photoreactivation of RNA in UV-irradiated insect eggs (Smittia sp., Chironomidae, Diptera) II. Evidence for heterogeneous light-dependent repair activities. Photochem Photobiol. 1978 Mar;27(3):317–322. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1978.tb07606.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kandler-Singer I., Kalthoff K. RNase sensitivity of an anterior morphogenetic determinant in an insect egg (Smittia sp., Chironomidae, Diptera). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Oct;73(10):3739–3743. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.10.3739. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. 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]
  10. Newrock K. M., Raff R. A. Polar lobe specific regulation of translation in embryos of Ilyanassa obsoleta. Dev Biol. 1975 Feb;42(2):242–261. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(75)90332-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. O'Farrell P. H. High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins. J Biol Chem. 1975 May 25;250(10):4007–4021. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Whittaker J. R. Acetylcholinesterase development in extra cells caused by changing the distribution of myoplasm in ascidian embryos. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1980 Feb;55:343–354. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Whittaker J. R. Segregation during ascidian embryogenesis of egg cytoplasmic information for tissue-specific enzyme development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Jul;70(7):2096–2100. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.7.2096. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES