High impact information on mex1

• The tachykinin-related peptide prohormone gene (Dtk) is both expressed and post-translationally processed in larval and adult midgut endocrine cells and in the central nervous system, with midgut expression starting at stage 17 of embryogenesis [1].
• The Drosophila mex1 gene is one of several genes clustered within a 10-kb interval of polytene region 71CD that includes the ecdysone-regulated Eip28/29 gene. mex1 is expressed in several developmental stages, with gene transcripts accumulating initially in 9- to 12-hr embryos [2].
• During embryogenesis, mex1 exhibits an endoderm-specific pattern of expression. mex1 transcripts are first detected in the anterior and posterior midgut primordia of stage 12 embryos; subsequently, mex1 mRNA accumulates solely in the differentiating embryonic midgut [2].
• DNA sequence analysis reveals that the mex1 gene encodes an unusual cysteine-rich polypeptide [2].
• In addition to the silencer, another element is located downstream of the Adh gene that produces a higher level of anterior than posterior midgut expression [3].

Associations of mex1 with chemical compounds

• Females of the mex1 mutant strain show statistically significant elevated levels of the pentose phosphate shunt enzymes, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase [4].

Other interactions of mex1

• The mex1 mutant allele is associated with statistically significant decreases in malic enzyme (ME) specific activity and ME specific immunologically cross-reacting material (ME-CRM) in newly emerged adult males [4].

References