High impact information on D

• Evidence for differential and redundant function of the Sox genes Dichaete and SoxN during CNS development in Drosophila [1].
• The Sox-domain containing gene Dichaete/fish-hook acts in concert with vnd and ind to regulate cell fate in the Drosophila neuroectoderm [2].
• However, the finding that Dichaete and SoxN exhibit opposite effects on achaete expression within the intermediate neuroectoderm demonstrates that each protein also has region-specific unique functions during early CNS development in the Drosophila embryo [1].
• Homozygous deletions of the Sox70D gene and recessive lethal Dichaete alleles have a variable embryonic segmentation phenotype [3].
• We have cloned and characterised a member of the High Mobility Group superfamily of genes from Drosophila, Sox70D, which is closely related to the mammalian testis determining gene SRY [3].

Biological context of D

• By contrast, in the medial neuroectoderm, where the expression of SoxNeuro and Dichaete overlaps, the phenotypes of both single mutants are mild [1].
• Dichaete expression is tightly controlled during embryonic development by a complex of regulatory elements distributed over 25 kb downstream and 3 kb upstream of the transcription unit [4].
• In order to unravel new Dichaete functions, we characterized the organization of the Dichaete gene using a combination of regulatory mutant alleles and reporter gene constructs [4].
• By analysing a number of new Dichaete alleles, phenotypic revertants and enhancer piracy lines, we show that the wing phenotype results from ectopic expression of the Sox-domain gene Dichaete [5].
• Maternal expression and function of the Drosophila sox gene Dichaete during oogenesis [6].

Anatomical context of D

• In accordance with an at least partially redundant function in that region, SoxNeuro/Dichaete double mutant embryos show a severe neural hypoplasia throughout the central nervous system, as well as a dramatic loss of achaete expressing proneural clusters and medially derived neuroblasts [1].
• Strikingly, Dichaete exhibits cytoplasmic distribution and is not detected in the oocyte nucleus [6].

Other interactions of D

• The Drosophila homologue, vnd, interacts genetically with the high-mobility group protein, Dichaete, in a manner suggesting co-operative activation [Zhao and Skeath (2002) Development, 129, 1165-1174] [7].

References