takeout, a novel Drosophila gene under circadian clock transcriptional regulation

• Published in: Molecular and cellular biology Vol. 20; no. 18; pp. 6935 - 6944
• Main Authors: So, W V, Sarov-Blat, L, Kotarski, C K, McDonald, M J, Allada, R, Rosbash, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 01-09-2000
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological Clocks - physiology; Cell Line; circadian clocks; Circadian Rhythm - physiology; DNA, Complementary; Down-Regulation; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila Proteins; Genes, Insect; Head; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Proteins - physiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Period Circadian Proteins; Promoter Regions, Genetic; RNA, Messenger; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; takeout (to) gene; Transcription, Genetic; Transcriptional Regulation
• ISSN: 0270-7306; 1098-5549; 1098-5549
• DOI: 10.1128/MCB.20.18.6935-6944.2000

We report the identification and characterization of a new Drosophila clock-regulated gene, takeout (to). to is a member of a novel gene family and is implicated in circadian control of feeding behavior. Its gene expression is down-regulated in all of the clock mutants tested. In wild-type flies, to mRNA exhibits daily cycling expression but with a novel phase, delayed relative to those of the better-characterized clock mRNAs, period and timeless. The E-box-containing sequence in the to promoter shows impressive similarities with those of period and timeless. However, our results suggest that the E box is not involved in the amplitude and phase of the transcriptional cycling of to. The circadian delayed transcriptional phase is therefore most likely the result of indirect regulation through unknown transcription factors.