Journal article
Developmental regulatory elements in the 5' flanking DNA of the Drosophila choline acetyltransferase gene
Roux's archives of developmental biology, Vol.202(3), pp.159-169
02/1993
DOI: 10.1007/BF00365306
PMID: 28305993
Abstract
Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT, EC 2.3.1.6) catalyzes the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and is an essential factor for neurons to be cholinergic. We have analyzed regulation of the Drosophila ChAT gene during development by examining the β-galactosidase expression pattern in transformed lines carrying different lengths of 5' flanking DNA fused to a lacZ reporter gene. The largest fragment tested, 7.4 kb, resulted in the most extensive expression pattern in embryonic and larval nervous system and likely reflects all the cis-regulatory elements necessary for ChAT expression. We also found that 5' flanking DNA located between 3.3 kb and 1.2 kb is essential for the reporter gene expression in most of the segmentally arranged embryonic sensory neurons as well as other distinct cells in the CNS. The existence of negative regulatory elements was suggested by the observation that differentiating photoreceptor cells in eye imaginal discs showed the reporter gene expression in several 1.2 kb and 3.3 kb transformants but not in 7.4 kb transformants. Furthermore, we have fused the 5' flanking DNA fragments to a wild type ChAT cDNA and used these constructs to transform Drosophila with a Cha mutant background. Surprisingly, even though different amounts of 5' flanking DNA resulted in different spatial expression patterns, all of the positively expressing cDNA transformed lines were rescued from lethality. Our results suggest that developmental expression of the ChAT gene is regulated both positively and negatively by the combined action of several elements located in the 7.4 kb upstream region, and that the more distal 5' flanking DNA is not necessary for embryonic survival and development to adult flies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Developmental regulatory elements in the 5' flanking DNA of the Drosophila choline acetyltransferase gene
- Creators
- Toshihiro Kitamoto - Division of Neurosciences, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, 1450 East Duarte Road, 91010, Duarte, CA, USAPaul M Salvaterra - Division of Neurosciences, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, 1450 East Duarte Road, 91010, Duarte, CA, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Roux's archives of developmental biology, Vol.202(3), pp.159-169
- Publisher
- Germany
- DOI
- 10.1007/BF00365306
- PMID
- 28305993
- ISSN
- 0930-035X
- eISSN
- 1432-041X
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/1993
- Academic Unit
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Anesthesia; Neuroscience and Pharmacology
- Record Identifier
- 9984006360102771
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