Regulation of two pair-rule stripes by a single enhancer in the Drosophila embryo

Dev Biol. 1996 May 1;175(2):314-24. doi: 10.1006/dbio.1996.0117.

Abstract

Previous studies on the regulation of the segmentation gene even-skipped (eve) have centered on the transcription of stripe 2. Here, we characterize another enhancer module contained within the complex eve promoter that directs expression of stripes 3 and 7. This enhancer is approximately 500 bp in length and maps approximately 3.3 kb upstream of the transcription start site. The stripe 3 + 7 enhancer appears to be regulated by one or more ubiquitously distributed activators, including components of a JAK-Stat pathway. The two-stripe pattern results via multiple tiers of repressors which delimit this ubiquitous activation. The zinc finger repressor hunchback appears to be responsible for establishing the anterior border of stripe 3 and the posterior border of stripe 7. knirps, a member of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors, appears to establish the posterior border of stripe 3 and the anterior border of stripe 7. Activator and repressor proteins bind in vitro to several sites within the enhancer. These findings suggest a general model for the regulation of segmentation stripes, whereby enhancers integrate positional information provided by broadly distributed activators and spatially restricted repressors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Bacterial Proteins*
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / physiology
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / embryology*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / genetics
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian / ultrastructure
  • Enhancer Elements, Genetic*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Genes, Insect
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics
  • Homeodomain Proteins / physiology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Morphogenesis / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / physiology
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Transcription Factors / physiology
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Transgenes
  • Zygote / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • eve protein, Drosophila
  • hb protein, Drosophila
  • kni protein, Drosophila

Associated data

  • GENBANK/S81995