Reverse genetics in drosophila: From sequence to phenotype using UAS-RNAi transgenic flies

• Published in: Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000) N.Y. : 2000), 2002-09, Vol.34 (1-2), p.152-155
• Main Authors: Enerly, Espen, Larsson, Jan, Lambertsson, Andrew
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; DNA Transposable Elements; DNA-Binding Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - genetics; Enhancer Elements (Genetics); Enhancer Elements, Genetic; RNA Interference; RNA-Binding Proteins; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins - genetics; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transcription Factors/genetics/metabolism; Wing/abnormalities; Wings, Animal - abnormalities
• ISSN: 1526-954X; 1526-968X
• DOI: 10.1002/gene.10111

A large number of the approximately 14,000 genes in Drosophila melanogaster have not been assigned any function or mutant phenotype. A great challenge for Drosophila geneticists is therefore to understand the functions of the newly discovered genes. anon-66Da (CG5994; GadFly; http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu/annot/), located on chromosome arm 3L at cytological position 66D8, is one of these anonymous genes. The predicted polypeptide of the anon-66Da gene shows homology to the mammalian RD protein, an RNA-binding protein with unknown function. Both proteins have a conserved RNA recognition motif (RRM) and a leucine zipper domain in their N-terminal end. The mammalian protein is named after its high content of Arg-Asp (RD) repeats in the central region. A major difference between RD and ANON-66Da is that the central region, including the RD repeats, is missing in the Drosophila protein. The RD protein is the smallest of five subunits of the negative elongation factor (NELF), and has newly been renamed NELF-E. ANON-66Da has recently been recognized as the Drosophila homolog, and is going to be referred to as NELF-E, and the gene as Nelf-E. (David Gilmour, personal communication). This new name will be used here.