| Affiliation: | (1) Laboratoire de Génétique du Développement et Evolution, Institut J. Monod, CNRS UMR 7592, Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Université Denis Diderot, 2-4 place Jussieu, 75251 Paris cedex 05, France;(2) Present address: Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiopathologie des retards mentaux, Institut Cochin-GDPM, 24 rue du Fbg St Jacques, 75014 Paris, France |
| Abstract: | The Drosophila segment polarity gene fused, which encodes a serine threonine kinase, is required to transmit the Hedgehog (Hh) signal in imaginal discs. To explore the functional homology between the human protein FUSED (hFU) and the Drosophila protein fused (dFu), we have subjected hFU to a precise and well-defined Hh signalling assay of Drosophila wing development. In the wildtype, hFU affects the expression of Hh target genes leading thus to defects in adult wings. In fu mutants, overexpression of hFU cannot rescue the fu phenotype. These results suggest that hFU in Drosophila interferes with endogenous Hh signalling probably by competing with endogenous dFu when binding its partners but cannot perform the normal Fu function.Edited by C. Desplan |
