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The Drosophila fushi tarazu polypeptide is a DNA-binding transcriptional activator in yeast cells

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Abstract

Many of the regulatory genes controlling the developmental pattern of segmentation during embryonic development in Drosophila melanogaster1-3 encode nuclear proteins containing either homoeobox or 'zinc-finger' domains with putative4-6 or demonstrated7,8 sequence-specific DNA-binding properties. One of these Drosophila homoeobox-containing proteins is encoded by the fushi tarazu (ftz) gene. The expression of ftz is spatially restricted during embryogenesis9-11 and the ftz polypeptide has an important role in different stages of development12,13. To determine whether the ftz polypeptide is a sequence-specific DNA-binding activator of transcription, we expressed portions of ftz as fusions with the yeast transcription factor GAL4 in yeast cells. Chimaeric GAL4/ftz proteins, like GAL4 itself, activated the transcription of a GAL4-dependent reporter gene. With reporter constructs containing Drosophila -derived chromosomal DNA sequences as transcriptional elements, the ftz polypeptide acted as a sequence specific DNA-binding transcriptional activator. In Drosophila, the ftz product may therefore be a positive regulator of transcription.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L6, Canada

    V. Danial Fitzpatrick & C. James Ingles

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  1. V. Danial Fitzpatrick
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  2. C. James Ingles
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Fitzpatrick, V., Ingles, C. The Drosophila fushi tarazu polypeptide is a DNA-binding transcriptional activator in yeast cells. Nature 337, 666–668 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337666a0

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