Expression and regulation of the abd-A gene of Drosophila
Open Access
- 1 December 1990
- journal article
- Published by The Company of Biologists in Development
- Vol. 110 (4), 1197-1207
- https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.110.4.1197
Abstract
We have developed a specific polyclonal antibody that recognizes the protein products of the abdominal-A (abdA) gene, a member of the bithorax complex of Drosophila. The normal expression domain extends from parasegments 7 to 13, in good correspondence with previous genetic and molecular results. However, while the anterior border of expression is precisely demarcated by a parasegmental boundary, the posterior border does not coincide with a lineage boundary. Within the normal domain, the expression of abd-A shows intrametameric modulation; the amount of product is higher in posterior compartments and in the most anterior cells of the anterior compartments and then gradually decreases. We have examined the effect on abd-A expression of a number of mutations, some mapping within and others outside the abd-A transcription unit. Those mapping to the transcription unit eliminate or severely reduce the amount of abd-A antigen, while those mapping outside produce an abnormal distribution of abd-A protein. Finally, we show that the abd-A gene is down-regulated in part of the Abdominal-B (Abd-B) domain, precisely in those regions where the Abd-B gene is expressed at high levels.Keywords
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