Jursnich V A, Burtis K C
Department of Genetics, University of California, Davis 95616.
Dev Biol. 1993 Jan;155(1):235-49. doi: 10.1006/dbio.1993.1021.
The doublesex (dsx) locus encodes male-specific and female-specific polypeptides that are essential for the proper differentiation of sexually dimorphic somatic features of Drosophila melanogaster. Ectopic expression of the male-specific dsx polypeptide was obtained by P-element-mediated transformation of flies with a construct bearing a fusion between the hsp70 heat shock promoter and dsx male-specific cDNA sequences. Heat shock-induced expression of the male cDNA in either sex resulted in three novel phenotypes: transformation of bristles on all legs toward a sex comb-like morphology, pigmentation of dorsal spinules and ventral setae in third-instar larvae, and lethality. These results were not predicted by previous models of dsx function, and provide evidence that the role of the male dsx protein includes activation of some aspects of male differentiation as well as repression of female differentiation.
双性基因（doublesex，dsx）位点编码雄性特异性和雌性特异性多肽，这些多肽对于黑腹果蝇性别二态性体细胞特征的正常分化至关重要。通过用携带hsp70热休克启动子与dsx雄性特异性cDNA序列融合构建体的P因子介导转化果蝇，获得了雄性特异性dsx多肽的异位表达。热休克诱导的雄性cDNA在任何一种性别中的表达都导致了三种新表型：所有腿上的刚毛向性梳样形态转变、三龄幼虫背小刺和腹侧刚毛的色素沉着以及致死性。这些结果是以前的dsx功能模型所无法预测的，并且提供了证据表明雄性dsx蛋白的作用包括激活雄性分化的某些方面以及抑制雌性分化。
