Evolution of Ftz protein function in insects
Evolution of Ftz protein function in insects
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DOI：
10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00425-0
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发表时间：
2001-09-18
期刊：
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Akam, M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Alonso, CR;Maxton-Kuechenmeister, J;Akam, M
果蝇的 fushi tarazu 基因 (ftz) 编码发育过程中多个阶段所需的包含同源结构域的转录调节因子 (Ftz)。果蝇 ftz (Dm-ftz) 首先以七个条纹表达，定义胚胎的交替副片段 - 一种“配对规则”分割函数 [1, 2]。然后它在中枢神经系统的特定神经前体细胞中表达，最后在发育中的后肠中表达[3]。已从蚱蜢 Schistocerca gregaria 中分离出 ftz 的直翅目直系同源物（Sg-ftz，正式名称为 Dax）[4]。裂尾虫胚胎中 Sg-ftz 的表达模式表明，ftz 基因的某些发育作用在这两个物种之间可能是保守的（例如，中枢神经系统功能），而其他功能可能有所不同（例如，分割功能）。为了测试 Ftz 蛋白本身的功能在这两个物种之间是否存在差异，在这里我们通过在果蝇胚胎中表达 Sg-Ftz 和 Dm-Ftz 蛋白来比较这两种蛋白的功能。 Sg-ftz 仅很少模拟 Dm-ftz 的几个分割作用（engrailed 激活、无翼抑制和胚胎角质层转化）。然而，这两种蛋白质在拯救中枢神经系统特异性 ftz 突变体方面具有类似的活性。这些发现表明，这种 ftz CNS 功能是由蛋白质的保守部分介导的，而有效的配对规则功能需要果蝇蛋白质中特异存在的序列。
The Drosophila, gene fushi tarazu (ftz) encodes a homeodomain-containing transcriptional regulator (Ftz) required at several stages during development. Drosophila melanogaster ftz (Dm-ftz) is first expressed in seven stripes defining alternate parasegments of the embryo-a "pair-rule" segmentation function [1, 2]. It is then expressed in specific neural precursor cells in the central nervous system and finally in the developing hindgut [3]. An Orthopteran ortholog of ftz (Sg-ftz, formally Dax) has been isolated from the grasshopper Schistocerca gregaria [4]. The pattern of Sg-ftz expression in Schistocerca, embryos suggests that some developmental roles of the ftz gene are likely to be conserved between these two species (e.g., CNS functions) while others may have diverged (e.g., segmentation functions). To test whether the function of the Ftz protein itself differs between these two species, here we compare the functions of Sg-Ftz and Dm-Ftz proteins by expressing both in Drosophila embryos. Sg-ftz mimics only poorly several segmentation roles of Dm-ftz (engrailed activation, wingless repression, and embryonic cuticle transformation). However, the two proteins are similarly active in the rescue of a CNS-specific ftz mutant. These findings argue that this ftz CNS function is mediated by conserved parts of the protein, while efficient pair-rule function requires sequences present specifically in the Drosophila protein.