Functional domain analysis of glass, a zinc-finger-containing transcription factor in Drosophila

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1995-07, Vol.92 (14), p.6557-6561
• Main Authors: O'Neil, E.M. (University of California, San Francisco, CA.), Ellis, M.C, Rubin, G.M, Tjian, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ADN; Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; Animals; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Biochemistry; Cell Line; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase - analysis; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase - biosynthesis; COMPOSICION QUIMICA; COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA - metabolism; DNA-Binding Proteins - biosynthesis; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Drosophila; Drosophila - genetics; Drosophila - metabolism; DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism; Drosophila Proteins; DROSOPHILA VIRILIS; Eye - ultrastructure; GENE; Gene Expression; GENES; Genes, Insect; Glass; Insects; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; Plasmids; PROTEINAS; PROTEINAS AGLUTINANTES; PROTEINE; PROTEINE DE LIAISON; Proteins; Regional identity; SECUENCIA NUCLEICA; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; SEQUENCE NUCLEIQUE; Trans-Activators - biosynthesis; Trans-Activators - metabolism; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Transcription, Genetic; Transcriptional activation; Transfection; Zinc; Zinc Fingers
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.92.14.6557

The glass gene is required for proper photoreceptor differentiation during development of the Drosophila eye. glass codes for a DNA-binding protein containing five zinc fingers that we show is a transcriptional activator. A comparison of the sequences of the glass genes from two species of Drosophila and a detailed functional domain analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster glass gene reveal that both the DNA-binding domain and the transcriptional-activation domain are highly conserved between the two species. Analysis of the DNA-binding domain of glass indicates that the three carboxyl-terminal zinc fingers alone are necessary and sufficient for DNA binding. We also show that a deletion mutant of glass containing only the DNA-binding domain can behave in a dominant-negative manner both in vivo and in a cell culture assay that measures transcriptional activation