Elements controlling follicular expression of the s36 chorion gene during Drosophila oogenesis

Peter P. Tolias, Mary Konsolaki, Marc S. Halfon, Nikolaus D. Stroumbakis, Fotis C. Kafatos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

An 84-bp proximal regulatory region (PRR) of the Drosophila melanogaster s36 chorion gene is sufficient for directing proper temporal and spatial expression of a reporter gene in three domains of the follicle: anterior, posterior, and main body. Here we show that the fidelity of PRR-directed s36 expression is dependent on the proper dorsal-ventral differentiation of the follicular epithelium, which requires the Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor homolog. Transgenic analysis of site-directed mutants of the PRR suggests that s36 expression is regulated by the concerted action of multiple positive activators. Several cis-acting transcriptional elements have been identified: some appear to function in a quantitative manner, while others either are essential or appear to regulate expression in particular spatial domains. The approximate locations of these regulatory elements have been defined; some map within sequences that are strongly conserved in widely divergent dipteran species. In fact, the PRR analog of the medfly Ceratitis capitata Ccs36 gene directs expression in a manner similar to the D. melanogaster s36 PRR. We propose a model for transcriptional regulation of s36 based on the prechoriogenic polarization of the follicular epithelium that surrounds the developing egg chamber.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5898-5906
Number of pages9
JournalMolecular and Cellular Biology
Volume13
Issue number9
StatePublished - Sep 1993
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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