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. 1988 Sep;7(9):2881–2887. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03145.x

Differential regulation of the two transcripts from the Drosophila gap segmentation gene hunchback.

C Schröder 1, D Tautz 1, E Seifert 1, H Jäckle 1
PMCID: PMC457082  PMID: 2846287

Abstract

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.

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Selected References

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