Intron and upstream sequences regulate expression of the Drosophila beta 3-tubulin gene in the visceral and somatic musculature, respectively.

The morphogenetic programs involved in the differentiation of internal organs, such as the muscle system, during Drosophila embryogenesis have remained largely obscure. beta 3-tubulin has proved to be a good marker for mesoderm development as this tubulin isotype is detectable soon after mesoderm formation and during the process of mesoderm differentiation. The beta 3-tubulin gene is expressed in the somatic and pharyngeal musculature, the dorsal vessel, and the visceral musculature. To learn more about the programs underlying mesodermal differentiation, we have started to dissect the regulatory elements of the beta 3-tubulin gene by means of P-element-mediated transformation experiments. We show that expression of the beta 3-tubulin gene in the somatic muscles, the pharyngeal muscles, and the dorsal vessel is mediated by far upstream sequences. We also demonstrate that the first intron of the beta 3-tubulin gene bears a tissue-specific enhancer element that is required for expression in the visceral muscles and that also functions efficiently when cloned downstream of an indicator gene. The separability of elements driving beta 3-tubulin expression in the somatic and visceral mesoderm facilitates the investigation of the different programs involved in regulating the early differentiation of this germ layer.