dorsotonals/homothorax, the Drosophila homologue of meis1, interacts with extradenticle in patterning of the embryonic PNS

Estee Kurant; Chi-yun Pai; Rakefet Sharf; Naomi Halachmi; Y. Henry Sun; Adi Salzberg

doi:10.1242/dev.125.6.1037

journal article Mar 15, 1998

dorsotonals/homothorax, the Drosophila homologue of meis1, interacts with extradenticle in patterning of the embryonic PNS

Estee Kurant Chi-yun Pai Rakefet Sharf Naomi Halachmi Y. Henry Sun Adi Salzberg

Development Vol. 125 No. 6 pp. 1037-1048 · The Company of Biologists

View at Publisher Save 10.1242/dev.125.6.1037

Abstract

ABSTRACT
The homeotic genes of the bithorax complex are required, among other things, for establishing the patterns of sensory organs in the embryonic peripheral nervous system (PNS). However, the molecular mechanisms by which these genes affect pattern formation in the PNS are not understood and other genes that function in this pathway are not characterized. Here we report the phenotypic and molecular analysis of one such gene, homothorax (hth; also named dorsotonals). Mutations in the hth gene seem to alter the identity of the abdominal chordotonal neurons, which depend on Abd-A for their normal development. However, these mutations do not alter the expression of the abd-A gene, suggesting that hth may be involved in modulating abd-A activity. We have generated multiple mutations in the hth locus and cloned the hth gene. hth encodes a homeodomain-containing protein that is most similar to the murine proto-oncogene meis1. The hth gene is expressed throughout embryonic development in a spatially restricted pattern, which is modulated in abdominal segments by abd-A and Ubx.
The spatial distribution of the HTH protein during embryonic development is very similar to the distribution of the Extradenticle (EXD) protein, a known modulator of homeotic gene activity. Here we show that the PNS phenotype of exd mutant embryos is virtually indistinguishable from that of hth mutant embryos and does not simply follow the homeotic transformations observed in the epidermis. We also show that the HTH protein is present in extremely low levels in embryos lacking exd activity as compared to wild-type embryos. In contrast, the EXD protein is present in fairly normal levels in hth mutant embryos, but fails to accumulate in nuclei and remains cytoplasmic. Ectopic expression of hth can drive ectopic nuclear localization of EXD. Based on our observations we propose that the genetic interactions between hth and exd serve as a novel mechanism for regulating homeotic protein activity in embryonic PNS development.

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Details

Published: Mar 15, 1998
Vol/Issue: 125(6)
Pages: 1037-1048
License: View

Authors

E

Estee Kurant

Unit of Genetics 1 , Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31096, Israel

C

Chi-yun Pai

Institute of Molecular Biology 2 , Academica Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan, Republic of China

R

Rakefet Sharf

Unit of Genetics 1 , Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31096, Israel

N

Naomi Halachmi

Unit of Genetics 1 , Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31096, Israel

Y

Y. Henry Sun

Institute of Molecular Biology 2 , Academica Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan, Republic of China

A

Adi Salzberg

Unit of Genetics 1 , Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31096, Israel

Cite This Article

Estee Kurant, Chi-yun Pai, Rakefet Sharf, et al. (1998). dorsotonals/homothorax, the Drosophila homologue of meis1, interacts with extradenticle in patterning of the embryonic PNS. Development, 125(6), 1037-1048. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.125.6.1037

dorsotonals/homothorax, the Drosophila homologue of meis1, interacts with extradenticle in patterning of the embryonic PNS

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