6533b82efe1ef96bd1292767
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The Mutation without childrenrgl Causes Ecdysteroid Deficiency in Third-Instar Larvae of Drosophila melanogaster
Negusse HabtemichaelJasmine WismarLawrence I. GilbertElisabeth GateffJi-da DaiJames T. Warrensubject
DNA Complementaryanimal structuresMolecular Sequence DataMutantwithout childrenmental retardation03 medical and health scienceschemistry.chemical_compoundExon0302 clinical medicineAnimalsDrosophila ProteinsHumansAmino Acid SequenceecdysoneMolecular BiologyAlleles030304 developmental biology0303 health sciencesEcdysteroidPolytene chromosomeBase Sequencezinc fingerbiologyHomozygotefungiEcdysteroidsCell Biologybiology.organism_classificationMolecular biology3. Good healthDNA-Binding ProteinsMicroscopy ElectronDrosophila melanogasterPhenotypechemistryMutagenesisLarvaring glandChromosomal regionInsect ProteinsSteroidsDrosophila melanogaster030217 neurology & neurosurgeryDrosophila ProteinEcdysoneTranscription FactorsDevelopmental Biologydescription
Larvae homozygous for the recessive lethal allele without children(rgl) (woc(rgl)) fail to pupariate. Application of exogenous 20-hydroxyecdysone elicits puparium formation and pupation. Ecdysteroid titer measurements on mutant larvae show an endocrine deficiency in the brain-ring gland complex, which normally synthesizes ecdysone, resulting in a failure of the larvae to achieve a threshold whole body hormone titer necessary for molting. Ultrastructural investigation revealed extensive degeneration of the prothoracic cells of the ring gland in older larvae. The woc gene, located in polytene chromosomal region 97F, consists of 11 exons. A 6.8-kb transcript is expressed throughout development but is absent in the mutant woc(rgl) larvae. The woc gene encodes a protein of 187 kDa. Eight zinc fingers of the C2-C2 type point to a possible function as a transcription factor. The woc protein shows considerable homology to human proteins which have been implicated in both mental retardation and a leukemia/lymphoma syndrome.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-10-01 | Developmental Biology |