A Drosophila rotund transcript expressed during spermatogenesis and imaginal disc morphogenesis encodes a protein which is similar to human Rac GTPase-activating (racGAP) proteins.

The rotund (rn) locus of Drosophila melanogaster at cytogenetic position 84D3,4 has been isolated and cloned on the basis of the mutant phenotype: an absence of structures in the subdistal regions of the appendages. The shortened appendages are the consequence of a localized cell death in the imaginal discs, precursors of the adult appendages. Physical characterization of the rn locus has demonstrated that it is relatively large, occupying a minimum of 50 kb. There are two major transcripts of 1.7 kb (m1.7) and 5.3 kb (m5.3). We present here the sequence analysis of m1.7 and its putative product, rnprot1.7, and show that rnprot1.7 is similar to the product of the human n-chimaerin gene, which is expressed in brain and testes. Recently, the GAP activity of n-chimaerin was demonstrated and shown to be specific for the Rac subfamily of the Ras oncoproteins. The Rac proteins have been implicated in the regulation of secretory processes. In addition to being expressed in the imaginal discs, the m1.7 racGAP transcript was detected in developmentally specific germ line cells of the testes, the primary spermatocytes.