Smoller D, Friedel C, Schmid A, Bettler D, Lam L, Yedvobnick B
Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.
Genes Dev. 1990 Oct;4(10):1688-700. doi: 10.1101/gad.4.10.1688.
The neurogenic loci of Drosophila are required for proper partitioning of ectodermal cells into epidermal versus neural lineages. The loci appear to encode components of a developmental pathway involving cellular communication. In an effort to understand the role of the neurogenic locus mastermind in these processes, we have characterized its expression and sequence. The locus produces a number of transcripts that accumulate ubiquitously during early embryogenesis but more specifically in the central nervous system during later stages. Sequence analysis of a major cDNA product predicts an unusual protein containing an abundance of amino acid homopolymers and charge clusters typical of regulatory molecules. Nearly half of the mass of the predicted protein derives from only three amino acids: glutamine, glycine, and asparagine. Immunohistochemical studies of the protein in cell culture and early embryos show that the protein accumulates predominantly in the nucleus.
果蝇的神经源基因座对于将外胚层细胞正确分配到表皮与神经谱系中是必需的。这些基因座似乎编码了涉及细胞通讯的发育途径的组成部分。为了理解神经源基因座主谋在这些过程中的作用，我们对其表达和序列进行了表征。该基因座产生多种转录本，这些转录本在胚胎发育早期普遍积累，但在后期更特异性地在中枢神经系统中积累。对一种主要cDNA产物的序列分析预测了一种不寻常的蛋白质，该蛋白质含有大量典型调节分子的氨基酸同聚物和电荷簇。预测蛋白质近一半的质量仅来自三种氨基酸：谷氨酰胺、甘氨酸和天冬酰胺。对细胞培养物和早期胚胎中该蛋白质的免疫组织化学研究表明，该蛋白质主要在细胞核中积累。
