Dachshund and C-terminal Binding Protein bind directly during eye development.

The transcription factor Dachshund (Dac) and the transcriptional co-regulator C-terminal Binding Protein (CtBP) were identified as the retinal determination factors during eye development A previous study established that Dac and CtBP interact genetically during eye development. Co-immunoprecipitation assays suggested that both molecules interact in the larval eye-antennal disc. Our present study shows that Dac and CtBP bind each other directly, as determined by GST pull-down assays. Thus, our results demonstrate the molecular mechanism of Dac and CtBP interaction and suggest the direct binding of these two transcription regulators in the cells of the eye disc promotes the eye specification.