STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE DROSOPHILA

尽管细胞间的相互作用在发育过程中起着关键的调节作用， 人们对其潜在的分子机制知之甚少。不同的 组成果蝇视网膜的细胞类型似乎是通过细胞- 细胞间的相互作用。脊椎动物神经系统的谱系研究暗示 与调节细胞命运的机制类似。由于它的可访问性 根据分子和经典遗传分析，果蝇的复眼是 非常适合于细菌的鉴定和分子表征 调节细胞命运的环境线索。 赛文斯新娘的分子遗传和生化分析 (BOSS)基因被提出。这一基因的表达是必须的 发育细胞，R8，仅用于其七个细胞中的一个的发育 邻居，即R7细胞，这表明BOSS需要生产 一个专门控制R7发展的信号。有趣的是， 在R7细胞中，另一种基因Seven less的表达是必要的 自身发展。七星蛋白的结构类似于 酪氨酸激酶样受体蛋白。这些数据导致了 假设Seven less蛋白是一种结合BOSS的受体 R8细胞产生的蛋白质。 为了检验这一假设，我们建议：(I)克隆BOSS并对其测序 基因；(Ii)BOSS基因产物的生化特性；(Iii)制备 BOSS抗体用于确定BOSS蛋白的位置和时间 表达；(Iv)过量生产BOSS蛋白；以及(V)检测 BOSS蛋白与Seven less蛋白结合，从而促进 酪氨酸磷酸化。 预计BOSS蛋白将代表一类蛋白质 发现了无脊椎动物和脊椎动物，包括人类，它们调节 发展。BOSS基因突变导致微妙的发育 缺陷会导致行为异常。对角色的理解 人类相似基因的研究可能提供对特定基因的分子洞察 行为和发育异常。

Although cell-cell interaction plays a key regulatory role in development, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. The diverse cell types comprising the Drosophila retina appear to arise through cell- cell interactions. Lineage studies in the vertebrate nervous system allude to a similar mechanism of regulating cell fate. Due to its accessibility to molecular and classical genetic analysis, the Drosophila compound eye is well suited to the identification and molecular characterization of environmental cues regulating cell fate. A molecular genetic and biochemical analysis of the bride of sevenless (boss) gene is proposed. The expression of this gene is required in one developing cell, R8, for the development of only one of its seven neighbors, namely the R7 cell, suggesting that boss is required to produce a signal specifically controlling R7 development. Interestingly, expression of another gene, sevenless, is required in the R7 cell for its own development. The structure of the sevenless protein is similar to tyrosine kinase-like receptor proteins. These data have led to the hypothesis that the sevenless protein is a receptor which binds the boss protein produced by the R8 cell. To test this hypothesis we propose to: (i) clone and sequence the boss gene; (ii) biochemically characterize the boss gene product; (iii) prepare antibodies to boss to determine where and when the boss protein is expressed; (iv) overproduce the boss protein; and (v) test the ability of the boss protein to bind to the sevenless protein and thereby promote tyrosine phosphorylation. It is anticipated that the boss protein will represent a class of proteins found both invertebrates and vertebrates, including human, which regulate development. Mutations in the boss gene give rise to subtle developmental defects leading to behavioral abnormalities. An understanding of the role of similar genes in human may provide molecular insight into specific behavioral and developmental abnormalities.