Description
- Abstract:
- Genetically determined, fixed action pattern behaviors offer a useful model for studying how developmental gene expression programs lay down a neuroanatomical architecture that underlies these behaviors. Male courtship in Drosophila melanogaster is a robust, tractable behavior governed by a well-defined gene hierarchy. Within this developmental program, fruitless (fru) and dissatisfaction (dsf) have been identified as regulatory genes whose disruption adversely affects courtship behavior. fru is complex gene, exhibiting both sexually dimorphic expression and alternative 3’ splicing of putative zinc-finger containing exons. It is hypothesized that the four different isoforms (A, B, C and D) arising from this splicing direct distinct gene expression programs that give rise to courtship behavior in males, but not females. dsf is an orphan nuclear hormone receptor that is expressed in one sexually monomorphic form in both sexes. Despite this similarity, dsf mutation results in loss of courtship in males and gain of courtship in females. Established as a transcriptional regulator, dsf likely acts on target genes differentially in the sexes through interaction with an undetermined ligand and/or transcriptional cofactors. To study the roles of fru and dsf in establishing and maintaining the neural circuitry responsible for courtship behavior, we have established epitope-tagged fly lines and cloned versions of the genes for in vivo and in vitro experiments, respectively. Successful targeting of the fru A, B, C and D and dsf loci individually by homologous recombination yielded animals unaffected phenotypically, yet recapitulating the known expression pattern of both genes. Although informative in immunohistochemical localization experiments, the endogenous levels of tagged fru or dsf proved inadequately low to yield sufficient interacting DNA for sequencing and subsequent target gene analysis. Alternatively, dsf was found to bind a known consensus sequence in vitro through an unbiased SELEX approach. The found dsf binding sequence was validated through mobility shift. This specific protein-DNA interaction guides future examination of the genes dsf regulates in directing a sex-specific developmental program that establishes the neural circuit responsible for male courtship behavior and female receptivity.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2014)
Access Conditions
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- Collection is open for research.
Citation
Gyuris, Aron,
"Transcriptional regulation of Drosophila melanogaster courtship behavior by fruitless and dissatisfaction"
(2014).
Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z0QJ7FNN
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Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry department....