Sequence-specific DNA-binding activities of the gap proteins encoded by hunchback and Krüppel in Drosophila

The segmentation of the Drosophila body plan depends on a hierarchy of interactions among approximately 20-25 regulatory genes that are active in the early embryo (refs 1-4; for a review see ref. 5). The gap genes have a key role in this process and are responsible for the periodic expression of cer...

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Published in:	Nature (London) Vol. 341; no. 6240; pp. 331 - 335
Main Authors:	Štanojevi, Dusan, Hoey, Timothy, Levine, Michael
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Nature Publishing 28-09-1989 Nature Publishing Group
Subjects:	Animals Base Sequence Biological and medical sciences Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA DNA - genetics DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics Drosophila Drosophila - genetics Drosophila Proteins Embryos Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Gene Expression Genetics Insects Juvenile Hormones Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors Metalloproteins - genetics Mode of action Molecular and cellular biology Molecular genetics Molecular Sequence Data Mutation Promoter Regions, Genetic Proteins Repressor Proteins Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid Transcription Factors Zinc - metabolism Embryonic development Sequence specificity Embryo Gene interaction Segmentation Transcription Consensus sequence Insecta DNA binding protein Binding site Gene expression Drosophilidae Regulation(control) Arthropoda DNA Invertebrata Drosophila melanogaster Diptera
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Summary:	The segmentation of the Drosophila body plan depends on a hierarchy of interactions among approximately 20-25 regulatory genes that are active in the early embryo (refs 1-4; for a review see ref. 5). The gap genes have a key role in this process and are responsible for the periodic expression of certain pair-rule genes and the localized expression of several homoeotic genes. The two best characterized gap genes, hunchback (hb) and Krüppel (Kr), contain homologies with the zinc-finger DNA-binding motif, although their mode of action in the early embryo is unknown. Here we report that both of the proteins encoded by these genes possess sequence-specific DNA-binding activities, which indicates that they might regulate gene expression at the level of transcription. The binding sites of the hb gene product are related by a 10-base pair (bp) consensus sequence, G/A C/C ATAAAAAA, whereas the binding sites of the Kr gene product share a distinct 10-bp motif, AACGGGTTAA. It is possible that the hb and Kr proteins cooperatively regulate gene expression, because they are expressed in broad, overlapping gradients in the early embryo. We also provide evidence that the on/off periodicity of the pair-rule gene even-skipped (eve) involves the interaction of the hb and Kr proteins with defined eve promoter elements.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	0028-0836 1476-4687
DOI:	10.1038/341331a0