McKeown M, Belote J M, Boggs R T
Molecular Biology and Virology Laboratory, Salk Institute, San Diego, California 92138.
Cell. 1988 Jun 17;53(6):887-95. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(88)90369-8.
The transformer (tra) gene of Drosophila is necessary for all aspects of female somatic sexual differentiation. tra uses a single set of precursor RNAs to produce female- and non-sex-specific RNAs by alternative splicing. Ectopic expression of the female-specific RNA causes chromosomal males to develop as females, indicative of a linear pathway of regulated genes controlling sex. Genetic and molecular tests with this ectopically expressed gene are consistent with the following order of gene action: X chromosome to autosome ratio----Sex lethal----transformer----transformer-2----doublesex----intersex--- - terminal differentiation. Expression of the female-specific tra RNA in tra mutants is sufficient to lead to female differentiation. Expression of the non-sex-specific tra RNA in tra mutants is not sufficient to lead to female differentiation. The tra female-specific activity is not required for female-specific splicing of the tra precursor RNAs.
果蝇的transformer（tra）基因对于雌性体细胞性分化的各个方面都是必需的。tra通过可变剪接利用一组前体RNA产生雌性特异性和非性别特异性RNA。雌性特异性RNA的异位表达使染色体雄性发育为雌性，这表明存在控制性别的受调控基因的线性途径。对该异位表达基因进行的遗传和分子测试与以下基因作用顺序一致：X染色体与常染色体的比例→性致死→transformer→transformer-2→双性→中间性→终末分化。在tra突变体中雌性特异性tra RNA的表达足以导致雌性分化。在tra突变体中非性别特异性tra RNA的表达不足以导致雌性分化。tra前体RNA的雌性特异性剪接不需要tra的雌性特异性活性。
