Localized requirement for torso-like expression in follicle cells for development of terminal anlagen of the Drosophila embryo

The torso (tor) gene, one of six identified maternal genes essential for the development of the anterior and posterior terminal structures in the Drosophila embryo, is likely to function as a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase. Although tor protein is uniformly distributed in the membrane of the egg cell and syncytial embryo, genetic and molecular data suggest that tor is locally activated at the ends of the embryo by a ligand present in the perivitelline space. Local activation of tor could be achieved if the ligand were expressed by a subpopulation of the follicle cells that surround the developing oocyte. Here we describe torso-like (tsl), the sixth member of the terminal gene class, and show that it is unique among these genes in that its expression is required in the somatic follicle cells rather than in the germ line. Moreover, mosaic analysis demonstrates that tsl expression is necessary only in subpopulations of follicle cells located at the poles of the oocyte. Thus, the spatially regulated expression of tsl in the follicle cell layer may generate a localized signal that is transduced by tor, ultimately resulting in the formation of the terminal structures of the embryo.     

Requirement of the Drosophila raf homologue for torso function

In Drosophila the correct formation of the most anterior and posterior regions of the larva, acron and telson is dependent on the maternally expressed terminal class of genes. In their absence, the anterior head skeleton is truncated and all the structures posterior to the abdominal segment seven are not formed. The protein predicted to be encoded by one of these genes, torso (tor), seems to be a transmembrane protein with an extracytoplasmic domain acting as a receptor and a cytoplasmic domain containing tyrosine kinase activity. Here we report that another member of the terminal-genes class, l(1)polehole (l(1)ph), which is also zygotically expressed, is the Drosophila homologue of the v-raf oncogene and encodes a potential serine-and-threonine kinase. We also show that functional l(1)ph gene product is required for the expression of a gain-of-function tor mutant phenotype, indicating that l(1)ph acts downstream of tor. Together, these results support the idea that the induction of terminal development occurs through a signal transduction system, involving the local activation of the tor-encoded tyrosine kinase at the anterior and posterior egg poles, resulting in the phosphorylation of the l(1)ph gene product. In turn, downstream target proteins may be phosphorylated, ultimately leading to the regionalized expression of zygotic target genes. Such a process is in agreement with the finding that both tor and l(1)ph messenger RNAs are evenly distributed.     

Dynamic control of positional information in the early Drosophila embryo

Morphogen gradients contribute to pattern formation by determining positional information in morphogenetic fields. Interpretation of positional information is thought to rely on direct, concentration-threshold-dependent mechanisms for establishing multiple differential domains of target gene expression. In Drosophila, maternal gradients establish the initial position of boundaries for zygotic gap gene expression, which in turn convey positional information to pair-rule and segment-polarity genes, the latter forming a segmental pre-pattern by the onset of gastrulation. Here we report, on the basis of quantitative gene expression data, substantial anterior shifts in the position of gap domains after their initial establishment. Using a data-driven mathematical modelling approach, we show that these shifts are based on a regulatory mechanism that relies on asymmetric gap-gap cross-repression and does not require the diffusion of gap proteins. Our analysis implies that the threshold-dependent interpretation of maternal morphogen concentration is not sufficient to determine shifting gap domain boundary positions, and suggests that establishing and interpreting positional information are not independent processes in the Drosophila blastoderm.     

Establishment of developmental precision and proportions in the early Drosophila embryo

During embryonic development, orderly patterns of gene expression eventually assign each cell in the embryo its particular fate. For the anteroposterior axis of the Drosophila embryo, the first step in this process depends on a spatial gradient of the maternal morphogen Bicoid (Bcd). Positional information of this gradient is transmitted to downstream gap genes, each occupying a well defined spatial domain. We determined the precision of the initial process by comparing expression domains in different embryos. Here we show that the Bcd gradient displays a high embryo-to-embryo variability, but that this noise in the positional information is strongly decreased ('filtered') at the level of hunchback (hb) gene expression. In contrast to the Bcd gradient, the hb expression pattern already includes the information about the scale of the embryo. We show that genes known to interact directly with Hb are not responsible for its spatial precision, but that the maternal gene staufen may be crucial.     

Posterior segmentation of the Drosophila embryo in the absence of a maternal posterior organizer gene

Maternal hunchback activity suppresses the genetic pathway for abdomen formation in the Drosophila embryo. The active component of the posterior group of maternal genes, nanos, acts as a specific repressor of hunchback in the posterior region. Absence of both repressors results in normal embryos, indicating that posterior segmentation may not directly require maternal determinants.     

Specification of limb development in the Drosophila embryo by positional cues from segmentation genes

Limb development in Drosophila requires the activity of a proximo-distal pattern-forming system, in addition to the antero-posterior and dorso-ventral pattern-forming systems that subdivide the embryo. Several lines of genetic evidence indicate that the Distal-less gene plays an important part in specifying proximo-distal positional information. The Distal-less locus encodes a homoeodomain-containing protein, which suggests that Distal-less may exert its activity through differential regulation of subordinate genes. The spatially restricted pattern of Distal-less expression allows direct visualization of the limb primordia during early embryogenesis. Here I report that from their inception, the leg primordia span the parasegment boundary. The segment polarity gene wingless seems to have a key part in defining the positions at which leg primordia will develop along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo. This analysis allows a direct molecular visualization of the compartments that subdivide the limb primordia into discrete developmental domains.     

Information for the dorsal--ventral pattern of the Drosophila embryo is stored as maternal mRNA

Maternal-effect mutations in 10 loci in Drosophila produce totally 'dorsalized' embryos. Injection of RNA isolated from wild-type embryos into mutants at six loci partially restores dorsal-ventral polarity. For the mutant snake, injection of poly(A)+ RNA restores a complete dorsal-ventral pattern.     

Krüppel requirement for knirps enhancement reflects overlapping gap gene activities in the Drosophila embryo

Segmental pattern formation in Drosophila proceeds in a hierarchical manner whereby the embryo is stepwise divided into progressively finer regions until it reaches its final metameric form. Maternal genes initiate this process by imparting on the egg a distinct antero-posterior polarity and by directing from the two polar centres the activities of the zygotic genes. The anterior system is strictly dependent on the product of the maternal gene bicoid (bcd), without which all pattern elements in the anterior region of the embryo fail to develop. The posterior system seems to lack such a morphogen. Rather, the known posterior maternal determinants simply define the boundaries within which abdominal segmentation can occur, and the process that actively generates the abdominal body pattern may be entirely due to the interactions between the zygotic genes. The most likely candidates among the zygotic genes that could fulfil the role of initiating the posterior pattern-forming process are the gap genes, as they are the first segmentation genes to be expressed in the embryo. Here we describe the interactions between the gap genes Krüppel (Kr), knirps (kni) and tailless (tll). We show that kni expression is repressed by tll activity, whereas it is directly enhanced by Kr activity. Thus, Kr activity is present throughout the domain of kni expression and forms a long-range protein gradient, which in combination with kni activity is required for abdominal segmentation of the embryo.     

果蝇胚胎不同表达水平基因内含子序列特征的比较分析

对果蝇胚胎低表达和高表达水平基因内含子的序列结构进行分析,发现2种表达水平的基因内含子序列特征有明显差异.高表达基因的内含子一般比低表达基因的长,其中高表达基因第1内含子的平均长度是低表达基因的2.62倍,第2内含子的平均长度是低表达基因的1.79倍.两类基因第1内含子中的CpG岛含量最高,并且高表达基因内含子中CpG岛含量要高于低表达基因.此外,与低表达基因相比,TATA box、CAAT box和GC box在高表达基因内含子中出现的频数明显要高些,尤其是在第1内含子中.作者还提取出果蝇胚胎2种表达水平基因第1内含子中高频出现的6-mer简单重复序列,发现一些重复序列与实验得到的转录因子结合位点相符合.这些结果提示内含子特别是第1内含子有可能调控果蝇胚胎基因的转录从而影响基因的表达水平.     

Determination of spatial domains of zygotic gene expression in the Drosophila embryo by the affinity of binding sites for the bicoid morphogen

The maternal gene bicoid is a key component of the system that determines the pattern of the anterior half of Drosophila embryos. The bicoid protein forms a concentration gradient in early embryos, and is known to bind DNA. Specific binding sites are now shown to confer expression in a region of the embryo that depends on their affinity for bicoid protein: sites of high affinity allow expression further down the bicoid protein gradient than sites of low affinity.     

基于位置关联性打分方程的果蝇转录因子结合位点的预测

转录因子结合位点的识别是阐明基因转录调控机制的重要环节,准确的转录因子结合位点的预测算法将有助于人们识别转录因子的目标基因,进而研究转录因子结合位点在上游调控区中的位置对转录调控的影响.然而,目前存在的预测转录因子结合位点的算法所得结果的特异性普遍较低,因此有必要提出一种新的有效的预测转录因子结合位点的算法.本文利用JASPAR数据库上的数据,在深入分析转录因子结合位点生物学特征的基础上,构建了考虑位点保守性和伪计数的位置关联性打分方程,并对果蝇转录因子结合位点进行预测,预测结果的假阳率均低于0.02%.     

播娘蒿油对果蝇和小鼠衰老影响的初步研究

播娘蒿(Descurainia sophia)油的组成以油酸、亚油酸、亚麻酸等多不饱和脂肪酸为主，含有丰富的维生素E等天然生理活性物质，具有较高的营养价值和保健医疗作用。研究表明：小鼠抗氧化试验中过氧化脂质(MDA)含量、抗氧化歧化酶(SOD)活力的测定和果蝇生存试验的结果均为阳性，证明播娘蒿油具有延缓衰老的活性。