Coschigano K T, Wensink P C
Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham Massachusetts 02254-9110.
Genes Dev. 1993 Jan;7(1):42-54. doi: 10.1101/gad.7.1.42.
The somatic sexual phenotype of Drosophila is regulated by the sexual differentiation pathway. Male (DSXM) and female (DSXF) proteins encoded by doublesex (dsx), a gene at the end of this pathway, bind to three sites within a 127-bp enhancer that directs sex- and tissue-specific transcription of Yolk protein genes. We describe mutagenesis of these binding sites and the resulting effects on DSXM and DSXF binding in vitro and on gene regulation in wild-type and dsx mutant flies. The results demonstrate that DSXM represses and DSXF activates transcription from the two strongest binding sites. Thus, the pathway regulates sex-specific transcription through the male and female dsx proteins that act directly on the target gene, but with opposite effects.
果蝇的体细胞性表型由性别分化途径调控。双性基因（doublesex，dsx）位于该途径末端，其编码的雄性（DSXM）和雌性（DSXF）蛋白与一个127 bp增强子内的三个位点结合，该增强子指导卵黄蛋白基因的性别和组织特异性转录。我们描述了这些结合位点的诱变及其对体外DSXM和DSXF结合以及对野生型和dsx突变果蝇基因调控的影响。结果表明，DSXM抑制而DSXF激活来自两个最强结合位点的转录。因此，该途径通过直接作用于靶基因的雄性和雌性dsx蛋白来调节性别特异性转录，但作用相反。
