2024-03-29T07:10:46Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/338852020-05-29T09:51:38Zcom_10261_79com_10261_1col_10261_332
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/33885
10.1242/dev.051409
34775
Integration of RNA processing and expression level control modulates the function of the Drosophila Hox gene Ultrabithorax during adult development.
Company of Biologists
2011
artículo
Navas, Luis F. de
Reed, Hilary
Akam, Michael
Barrio, Rosa
Alonso, Claudio R.
Sánchez-Herrero, Ernesto
rp13646
Drosophila
Ultrabithorax
Hox
Alternative splicing
Spalt
2011-01
Supplementary material for this article is available at http://dev.biologists.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1242/dev.051409/-/DC1
Although most metazoan genes undergo alternative splicing, the functional relevance of the majority of alternative splicing
products is still unknown. Here we explore this problem in the Drosophila Hox gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx). Ubx produces a family
of six protein isoforms through alternative splicing. To investigate the functional specificity of the Ubx isoforms, we studied their
role during the formation of the Drosophila halteres, small dorsal appendages that are essential for normal flight. Our work
shows that isoform Ia, which is encoded by all Ubx exons, is more efficient than isoform IVa, which lacks the amino acids coded by
two small exons, in controlling haltere development and regulating Ubx downstream targets. However, our experiments also
demonstrate that the functional differences among the Ubx isoforms can be compensated for by increasing the expression levels
of the less efficient form. The analysis of the DNA-binding profiles of Ubx isoforms to a natural Ubx target, spalt, shows no major
differences in isoform DNA-binding activities, suggesting that alternative splicing might primarily affect the regulatory capacity of
the isoforms rather than their DNA-binding patterns. Our results suggest that to obtain distinct functional outputs during normal
development genes must integrate the generation of qualitative differences by alternative splicing to quantitative processes
affecting isoform protein expression levels.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK)
Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (España)
Fundación Ramón Areces
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (España)
Eusko Jaurlaritza
Development - Cambridge
2011
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