The Thick Veins Gene of Drosophila Is Required for Dorsoventral Polarity of the Embryo

We have discovered a new member of the class of genes controlling embryonic dorsoventral patterning. Mutants of the thick veins (tkv) gene have been described previously (as slater alleles) as embryonic lethal, lacking dorsal epidermis, but not as showing a recognizable dorsoventral phenotype. We show here that maternal alteration of function coupled with zygotic reduction of function of tkv is strongly ventralizing. In addition, in double heterozygous combinations in the mother, tkv mutations increase the ventralizing effect of dominant, weakly ventralizing alleles of the maternal effect, dorsoventral genes easter and cactus. An interaction is also seen with zygotic dorsoventral genes: tkv interacts maternally and zygotically in double heterozygotes with decapentaplegic and zygotically with screw in double homozygotes. We conclude that both maternally and zygotically supplied wild-type tkv product can play a role in dorsoventral patterning of the early embryo. On the basis of the phenotype of trans-heterozygous adult escapers, we propose that tkv might act by potentiating the activity of the zygotically acting decapentaplegic gene.     

The Mouse Microbiome Is Required for Sex-Specific Diurnal Rhythms of Gene Expression and Metabolism

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拟南芥编码亮氨酸拉链蛋白的AS2基因在叶发育中具有控制极性建立的作用

在拟南芥 (Arabidopsisthaliana (L .)Heynh .)叶发育研究中 ,as2是一个经典突变体。as2典型的表型是叶片开裂或形成一种小叶状结构。遗传学和分子生物学实验证明 ,AS2基因具有抑制KNOX基因在叶中表达的功能。在本文中 ,我们着重研究了新得到的在Landsbergerecta (Ler)遗传背景下的as2突变体。除了前人报道过的as2表型外 ,新as2突变体的部分叶柄长在叶片的下方 ,形成一种荷叶状结构 ,更严重的甚至长成花丝状叶结构。这两种结构都反映了不正常的叶腹背轴极性分化。在我们所收集到的as2等位突变体中 ,只有在Ler背景下这两种结构才以高频率出现。我们通过图位克隆方法分离了AS2基因。该基因编码一个含有亮氨酸拉链结构的蛋白。在拟南芥中 ,AS2同源基因共 4 3个 ,除AS2外 ,其他基因的功能都不清楚。AS2在叶和花中表达 ,在茎中无表达 ,这种表达模式和as2突变体的表型是吻合的。     

拟南芥编码亮氨酸拉链蛋白的AS2基因在叶发育中具有控制极性建立的作用

在拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.)叶发育研究中,as2是一个经典突变体.as2典型的表型是叶片开裂或形成一种小叶状结构.遗传学和分子生物学实验证明,AS2基因具有抑制KNOX基因在叶中表达的功能.在本文中,我们着重研究了新得到的在Landsberg erecta (Ler)遗传背景下的as2突变体.除了前人报道过的as2表型外,新as2突变体的部分叶柄长在叶片的下方,形成一种荷叶状结构,更严重的甚至长成花丝状叶结构.这两种结构都反映了不正常的叶腹背轴极性分化.在我们所收集到的as2等位突变体中,只有在Ler背景下这两种结构才以高频率出现.我们通过图位克隆方法分离了AS2基因.该基因编码一个含有亮氨酸拉链结构的蛋白.在拟南芥中,AS2同源基因共43个,除AS2外,其他基因的功能都不清楚.AS2在叶和花中表达,在茎中无表达,这种表达模式和as2突变体的表型是吻合的.     

String of Pearls Encodes Drosophila Ribosomal Protein S2, Has Minute-like Characteristics, and Is Required during Oogenesis

The first allele of string of pearls (sop) was isolated as a recessive female sterile mutant in a P element enhancer trap screen. Oogenesis in homozygous sop females arrests at approximately stage 5. In addition, homozygous flies of both sexes have Minute-like characteristics that include reduced bristles, delayed development and larval lethality. sop maps to 30D/E on chromosome 2L and encodes the Drosophila homolog of eukaryotic ribosomal protein S2. The gene is present in a single copy in the Drosophila genome and the level of mRNA present in mutant animals is reduced. The identification of a mutant allele that blocks development at a mid-stage of oogenesis may indicate that sop has a specific developmental role during oogenesis in addition to its general role in protein synthesis as a component of the small ribosomal subunit.     

The Wilms Tumor Gene,Wt1, Is Critical for Mouse Spermatogenesis via Regulation of Sertoli Cell Polarity and Is Associated with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia in Humans

Azoospermia is one of the major reproductive disorders which cause male infertility in humans; however, the etiology of this disease is largely unknown. In the present study, six missense mutations of WT1 gene were detected in 529 human patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), indicating a strong association between WT1 mutation and NOA. The Wilms tumor gene, Wt1, is specifically expressed in Sertoli cells (SCs) which support spermatogenesis. To examine the functions of this gene in spermatogenesis, Wt1 was deleted in adult testis using Wt1^flox and Cre-ER^TM mice strains. We found that inactivation of Wt1 resulted in massive germ cell death and only SCs were present in most of the seminiferous tubules which was very similar to NOA in humans. In investigating the potential mechanism for this, histological studies revealed that the blood–testis barrier (BTB) was disrupted in Wt1 deficient testes. In vitro studies demonstrated that Wt1 was essential for cell polarity maintenance in SCs. Further studies found that the expression of cell polarity associated genes (Par6b and E-cadherin) and Wnt signaling genes (Wnt4, Wnt11) were downregulated in Wt1 deficient SCs, and that the expression of Par6b and E-cadherin was regulated by Wnt4. Our findings suggest that Wt1 is important in spermatogenesis by regulating the polarity of SCs via Wnt signaling pathway and that WT1 mutation is one of the genetic causes of NOA in humans.     

The mdoC Gene of Escherichia coli Encodes a Membrane Protein That Is Required for Succinylation of Osmoregulated Periplasmic Glucans

Osmoregulated periplasmic glucans (OPGs) of Escherichia coli are anionic oligosaccharides that accumulate in the periplasmic space in response to low osmolarity of the medium. Their anionic character is provided by the substitution of the glucosidic backbone by phosphoglycerol originating from the membrane phospholipids and by succinyl residues from unknown origin. A phosphoglycerol-transferase-deficient mdoB mutant was subjected to Tn5 transposon mutagenesis, and putative mutant clones were screened for changes in the anionic character of OPGs by thin-layer chromatography. One mutant deficient in succinylation of OPGs was obtained, and the gene inactivated in this mutant was characterized and named mdoC. mdoC, which encodes a membrane-bound protein, is closely linked to the mdoGH operon necessary for the synthesis of the OPG backbone.     

Gutfeeling, a Drosophila Gene Encoding an Antizyme-like Protein, Is Required for Late Differentiation of Neurons and Muscles

The gutfeeling (guf) gene was uncovered in a genetic screen for genes that are required for proper development of the embryonic peripheral nervous system. Mutations in guf cause defects in growth cone guidance and fasciculation and loss of expression of several neuronal markers in the embryonic peripheral and central nervous systems. guf is required for terminal differentiation of neuronal cells. Mutations in guf also affect the development of muscles in the embryo. In the absence of guf activity, myoblasts are formed properly, but myoblast fusion and further differentiation of muscle fibers is severely impaired. The guf gene was cloned and found to encode a 21-kD protein with a significant sequence similarity to the mammalian ornithine decarboxylase antizyme (OAZ). In mammals, OAZ plays a key regulatory role in the polyamine biosynthetic pathway through its binding to, and inhibition of, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the first enzyme in the pathway. The elaborate regulation of ODC activity in mammals still lacks a defined developmental role and little is known about the involvement of polyamines in cellular differentiation. GUF is the first antizyme-like protein identified in invertebrates. We discuss its possible developmental roles in light of this homology.     

kakapo, a Gene Required for Adhesion Between and Within Cell Layers in Drosophila, Encodes a Large Cytoskeletal Linker Protein Related to Plectin and Dystrophin

Mutations in kakapo were recovered in genetic screens designed to isolate genes required for integrin-mediated adhesion in Drosophila. We cloned the gene and found that it encodes a large protein (>5,000 amino acids) that is highly similar to plectin and BPAG1 over the first 1,000–amino acid region, and contains within this region an α-actinin type actin-binding domain. A central region containing dystrophin-like repeats is followed by a carboxy domain that is distinct from plectin and dystrophin, having neither the intermediate filament-binding domain of plectin nor the dystroglycan/syntrophin-binding domain of dystrophin. Instead, Kakapo has a carboxy terminus similar to the growth arrest–specific protein Gas2. Kakapo is strongly expressed late during embryogenesis at the most prominent site of position-specific integrin adhesion, the muscle attachment sites. It is concentrated at apical and basal surfaces of epidermal muscle attachment cells, at the termini of the prominent microtubule bundles, and is required in these cells for strong attachment to muscles. Kakapo is also expressed more widely at a lower level where it is essential for epidermal cell layer stability. These results suggest that the Kakapo protein forms essential links among integrins, actin, and microtubules.     

The Drosophila Maternal Effect Locus Deadhead Encodes a Thioredoxin Homolog Required for Female Meiosis and Early Embryonic Development

This study describes the identification, function and molecular characterization of deadhead, a Drosophila thioredoxin homolog. Although in vitro studies have shown that thioredoxin can posttranslationally regulate the activity of many different proteins, we find that this homolog is not essential for viability. The phenotypic analysis of two different mutations which eliminate function suggests that dhd is essential for female meiosis. The majority of eggs laid by females homozygous for null mutations are fertilized but fail to complete meiosis. A small number of escaper embryos initiate development and display a range of phenotypes suggesting functions in both preblastoderm mitosis and head development. Our analysis of deadhead's RNA expression pattern is consistent with its maternal effect function: the RNA is predominately expressed in the nurse cells of the ovary, is maternally deposited into the egg, but does not appear to be zygotically expressed during embryogenesis. Thus both our genetic and molecular data are consistent with a function during meiosis and preblastoderm mitosis. Whether the head defect indicates an additional function or is an indirect consequence of earlier defects remains to be determined.     

The UNI3 Gene Is Required for Assembly of Basal Bodies of Chlamydomonas and Encodes δ-Tubulin, a New Member of the Tubulin Superfamily

We have cloned the UNI3 gene in Chlamydomonas and find that it encodes a new member of the tubulin superfamily. Although Uni3p shares significant sequence identity with α-, β-, and γ-tubulins, there is a region of Uni3p that has no similarity to tubulins or other known proteins. Mutant uni3–1 cells assemble zero, one, or two flagella. Pedigree analysis suggests that flagellar number in uni3–1 cells is a function of the age of the cell. The uniflagellate uni3–1 cells show a positional phenotype; the basal body opposite the eyespot templates the single flagellum. A percentage of uni3–1 cells also fail to orient the cleavage furrow properly, and basal bodies have been implicated in the placement of cleavage furrows in Chlamydomonas. Finally when uni3–1 cells are observed by electron microscopy, doublet rather than triplet microtubules are observed at the proximal end of the basal bodies. We propose that the Uni3 tubulin is involved in both the function and cell cycle-dependent maturation of basal bodies/centrioles.     

The Rad9 Gene of Coprinus Cinereus Encodes a Proline-Rich Protein Required for Meiotic Chromosome Condensation and Synapsis

The rad9 gene of Coprinus cinereus is essential for the normal completion of meiosis. We examined surface-spread preparations of wild-type and rad9-1 nuclei from the meiotic stages of karyogamy through metaphase I, and we determined the primary sequence, structure, and meiotic expression of the rad9 gene. In wild-type C. cinereus, karyogamy is followed by condensation and alignment of homologous chromosomes. Condensation and axial core development largely precede synapsis, which often initiates at telomeres. A diffuse diplotene phase coincides with dissolution of the synaptonemal complex, and subsequently chromosomes further condense as the cells progress into metaphase I. In contrast, although karyogamy and nucleolar fusion are apparently normal in rad9-1 basidia, only short stretches of synaptonemal complex form. These correlate with stretches of condensed chromatin, mostly at apparent chromosome ends, and regions of presumptive triple synapsis are numerous. rad9-1 basidia enter the diffuse stage of early diplotene, and then 50% of these cells enter metaphase I by the criteria of nucleolar elimination and at least some chromatin condensation. rad9 gene expression is induced after gamma irradiation and during meiosis. The gene has 27 exons and encodes a predicted protein of 2157 amino acids, with a proline-rich amino terminus.