Abstract
D-MEF2 is a MADS domain transcription factor expressed in the cardiac, somatic, and visceral muscle cell lineages in the Drosophila embryo. Genetic studies have demonstrated that D-mef2 gene function is required for the proper differentiation of all three of these muscle types. We show that D-MEF2 is also expressed in a limited number of other cell types during development, including Kenyon cells present in the mushroom bodies of the Drosophila brain. This finding suggests a role for D-mef2 in neuron differentiation. To investigate D-mef2 expression in muscle and Kenyon cells, we assayed 26 kb of D-mef2 5'-flanking and intragenic DNA for regulatory sequences controlling the expression of the gene. Our results show that separable enhancer sequences direct D-mef2 gene expression in the myogenic and neuronal cell lineages. The identification of these regulatory DNAs provides a starting point for the analysis of transcriptional regulators controlling the cell-specific expression of D-mef2 and a means to address the function of D-mef2 in Kenyon cell differentiation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1827-1831 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Oncogene |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 8 |
State | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- D-MEF2 transcription factor
- Kenyon cells
- Muscle
- Mushroom bodies
- Neuron differentiation
- Transcriptional enhancers
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cancer Research