Identifying the binding sequence of Teflon, a protein required for autosomal homolog conjunction during meiosis I in Drosophila melanogaster males
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Katie Hansen (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- John Tomkiel
Abstract: Teflon (Tef) is a gene required for paired autosomes to maintain connections until Anaphase I in male Drosophila melanogaster. The protein contains three canonical zinc finger motifs, which are typically involved in sequence-specific DNA binding, suggesting that Tef binds DNA directly. Towards identifying Tef binding sequences, we have overexpressed Tef fused to Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in salivary glands, and have used anti-GFP antibodies to localize Tef-GFP to 62 different cytogenetic regions. Using duplications we mapped one of these sites to a 27 kb region on the X chromosome. Through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we have further defined Tef binding sequences within this region. It has been proposed that Tef may function as either a transcriptional regulator or as a physical bridging complex that holds homologs together. Transcriptional analysis by qRT-PCR of salivary gland and testis mRNA has revealed that Tef does not alter gene expression in the proximity of a Tef binding site. Nor did we observe any ability of Tef binding regions to enhance segregation of X duplications from their X homolog at meiosis I. Independent of the presence or absence of Tef binding sites, however, we found that a subset of X duplications segregate from an rDNA-deficient X chromosome in males. This suggests X sequences other than the rDNA have the ability to pair in male meiosis.
Identifying the binding sequence of Teflon, a protein required for autosomal homolog conjunction during meiosis I in Drosophila melanogaster males
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Created on 5/1/2011
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2011
- Keywords
- Tef (teflon), Drosophila melanogaster,
- Subjects
- Drosophila melanogaster $x Genetics
- DNA-protein interactions $x Research