A Database of Drosophila Genes & Genomes

FB2013_03, released May 7th, 2013
 

Reference Report

Reference
Citation Gunthorpe, D., Beatty, K.E., Taylor, M.V. (1999). Different levels, but not different isoforms, of the Drosophila transcription factor DMEF2 affect distinct aspects of muscle differentiation.  Dev. Biol. 215(1): 130--145. (Export to RIS)
FlyBase ID FBrf0111895
Publication Type Research paper
PubMed ID 10525355
PubMed Abstract mef2 genes encode alternatively spliced transcription factor isoforms that function in muscle differentiation in both Drosophila and vertebrates. Drosophila mef2 (Dmef2) has been shown to be required for the differentiation of a variety of distinct muscle types. However, many possible aspects of its function in muscle remain unexplored. There has also been no analysis in vivo of the activity of different MEF2 isoforms in any species. Our investigation centred on the role of different levels of DMEF2 in the Drosophila embryo in regulating diverse events of muscle differentiation and on the functional significance of Dmef2 alternative splicing. We used the GAL4/UAS system to both misexpress and overexpress individual DMEF2 isoforms and to rescue the different aspects of the Dmef2 mutant phenotype. Ectopic ectodermal expression of DMEF2 activated muscle gene expression and inhibited epidermal differentiation. Overexpression of DMEF2 in the mesoderm disrupted differentiation of the somatic and visceral muscle and the heart. The use of different DMEF2 levels in the rescue experiments revealed an activity range compatible with differentiation of the different muscle types: the consequence of too little or too much DMEF2 activity was disrupted differentiation. These rescue experiments also revealed that distinct DMEF2 thresholds are required for different properties within a cell and also for different cells within a muscle type and for different muscle types. Finally, each isoform functioned equivalently in these experiments, including in the stringent test of rescue of the Dmef2 mutant phenotype.
DOI
Related Publication(s)
hide Recent Updates
Description
What does this section display?
This section contains items that were added to this record for each release. It currently only tracks new links between this FlyBase report and other FlyBase data classes (e.g. genes, references, stocks) or controlled vocabulary terms (e.g. GO, anatomy terms).
What does this section not display?
This section does not currently display links that were removed or gene model changes.
Update Feed
Click the icon below to subscribe to this FlyBase record and receive updates automatically through your feed reader.
FB2013_03
FB2013_02
All updates Click here to see a list of all updates to this record from FB2010_08 and on.
hide Associated Information
Comments
Associated Files
hide Other Information
Secondary IDs
Language of Publication English
Additional Languages of Abstract
Also Published As
hide Parent Publication
Publication Type Journal
Abbreviation Dev. Biol.
Title Developmental Biology
Publication Year 1959-
ISBN/ISSN 0012-1606
hide Data from Reference
hideAlleles (10)
hideConstructs (7)
hideGenes (7)
hideInsertions (1)
hideTranscripts (4)