Cutoff and aubergine mutations result in retrotransposon upregulation and checkpoint activation in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Gametogenesis is a highly regulated process in all organisms. In Drosophila, a meiotic checkpoint which monitors double-stranded DNA breaks and involves Drosophila ATR and Chk2 coordinates the meiotic cell cycle with signaling events that establish the axis of the egg and embryo. Checkpoint activity regulates translation of the transforming growth-factor-alpha-like Gurken signaling molecule which induces dorsal cell fates in the follicle cells [1-3]. We found that mutations in the Drosophila gene cutoff (cuff) affect germline cyst development and result in ventralized eggs as a result of reduced Grk protein expression. Surprisingly, cuff mutations lead to a marked increase in the transcript levels of two retrotransposable elements, Het-A and Tart. We found that small interfering RNAs again

SUBMITTER: Chen Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1905832 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature