Lightoid and Claret: a rab GTPase and its putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor in biogenesis of Drosophila eye pigment granules.

ABSTRACT: To elucidate the biogenetic pathways for the generation of lysosome-related organelles, we have chosen to study the Drosophila eye pigment granules because they are lysosome-related and the fruit fly provides the advantages of a genetic system in which many mutations affect eye color. Here, we report the molecular identification of two classic Drosophila eye-color genes required for pigment granule biogenesis, claret and lightoid; the former encodes a protein containing seven repeats with sequence similarity to those that characterize regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (RCC1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase, Ran), and the latter encodes a rab GTPase, Rab-RP1. We demonstrate in transfected cells that Claret, through its RCC1-like domain, interacts preferentiall

SUBMITTER: Ma J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC511034 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature