Abstract
The anterior determinant bicoid (bcd) of Drosophila is a homeodomain protein. It forms an anterior-to-posterior gradient in the embryo and activates, in a concentration-dependent manner, several zygotic segmentation genes during blastoderm formation. Its posterior counterpart, the homeodomain transcription factor caudal (cad), forms a concentration gradient in the opposite direction, emanating from evenly distributed messenger RNA in the egg. In embryos lacking bcd activity as a result of mutation, the cad gradient fails to form and cad becomes evenly distributed throughout the embryo. This suggests that bcd may act in the region-specific control of cad mRNA translation. Here we report that bcd binds through its homeodomain to cad mRNA in vitro, and exerts translational control through a bcd-binding region of cad mRNA.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Base Sequence
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Binding Sites
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DNA Primers
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Diptera
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Drosophila / embryology
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Drosophila / genetics
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Drosophila Proteins
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Female
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Gene Expression Regulation*
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Homeodomain Proteins / genetics*
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Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism*
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Insect Hormones / genetics
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Insect Hormones / metabolism*
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Protein Binding
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Protein Biosynthesis
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RNA, Messenger / metabolism*
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RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
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RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
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Trans-Activators*
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Transcription Factors
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Transfection
Substances
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DNA Primers
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Drosophila Proteins
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Homeodomain Proteins
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Insect Hormones
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RNA, Messenger
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RNA-Binding Proteins
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins
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Trans-Activators
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Transcription Factors
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bcd protein, Drosophila
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cad protein, Drosophila