Cooperative Control of Ecdysone Biosynthesis in Drosophila by Transcription Factors Séance, Ouija Board, and Molting Defective

Genetics: A Periodical Record of Investigations Bearing on Heredity and Variation

Qiuxiang Ou^2¹  Takumi Kamiyama^3²  Masatoshi Iga^4³  Outa Uryu^1⁴  Tatsuya Komura-Kawa^3⁵  Monika Syrzycka^5⁶ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada^2;Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan^4;Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada^5;Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 305-8572, Ibaraki, Japan^1;Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 305-8572, Ibaraki, Japan^3;Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan^6

关键词: Drosophila;    ecdysone;    heterochromatin;    steroid hormone biosynthesis;    transcription;    zinc finger;   

DOI  :  10.1534/genetics.117.300268

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Genetics Society of America

【 摘 要 】

Ecdysteroids are steroid hormones that control many aspects of development and physiology. During larval development, ecdysone is synthesized in an endocrine organ called the prothoracic gland through a series of ecdysteroidogenic enzymes encoded by the Halloween genes. The expression of the Halloween genes is highly restricted and dynamic, indicating that their spatiotemporal regulation is mediated by their tight transcriptional control. In this study, we report that three zinc finger-associated domain (ZAD)-C₂H₂ zinc finger transcription factors—Séance (Séan), Ouija board (Ouib), and Molting defective (Mld)—cooperatively control ecdysone biosynthesis in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster . Séan and Ouib act in cooperation with Mld to positively regulate the transcription of neverland and spookier , respectively, two Halloween genes. Remarkably, loss-of-function mutations in séan , ouib , or mld can be rescued by the expression of neverland , spookier , or both, respectively. These results suggest that the three transcription factors have distinct roles in coordinating the expression of just two genes in Drosophila . Given that neverland and spookier are located in constitutive heterochromatin, Séan, Ouib, and Mld represent the first example of a transcription factor subset that regulates genes located in constitutive heterochromatin.

【 授权许可】

CC BY