Reference Report

Reference
Citation	Baril, C., Therrien, M. (2006). Alphabet, a Ser/Thr phosphatase of the protein phosphatase 2C family, negatively regulates RAS/MAPK signaling in Drosophila. Dev. Biol. 294(1): 232--245. (Export to RIS)
FlyBase ID	FBrf0190087
Publication Type	Research paper
PubMed ID	16600208
PubMed Abstract	Signal transduction through the RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway depends on a diverse collection of proteins regulating positively and negatively signaling flow. We previously conducted a genetic screen in Drosophila to identify novel components of this signaling pathway. Here, we present the identification and characterization of a new gene, alphabet (alph), whose activity negatively regulates RAS/MAPK-dependent developmental processes in Drosophila and this, at a step downstream or in parallel to RAS. alph encodes a protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) family member closely related to the mammalian PP2C alpha and beta isoforms. Interestingly, although alph gene product does not appear to be essential for viability, its elimination leads to weak but significant developmental defects reminiscent of an overactivated RAS/MAPK pathway. Consistent with this interpretation, strong genetic interactions are observed between alph alleles and mutations in bona fide components of the pathway. Together, this work identifies a PP2C of the alpha/beta subfamily as a novel negative regulator of the RAS/MAPK pathway and suggests that these evolutionarily conserved enzymes play a similar role in other metazoans. Finally, despite the relatively large size of the PP2C gene family in metazoans, this study represents only the second genetic characterization of a PP2C in these organisms.
DOI	10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.02.046
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Language of Publication	English
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Publication Type	Journal
Abbreviation	Dev. Biol.
Title	Developmental Biology
Publication Year	1959-
ISBN/ISSN	0012-1606
Data from Reference
Alleles (14)
	alph^c04528 alph^S-292 alph^S-331 alph^S-355 alph^XS-88 aop^A141 ksr::tor^{ΔNksr.hs.sev} phyl^hs.sev PTP-ER^XE-2776 PTP-ER^XE-3022 Ras85D^V12.Scer\UAS Ras85D^V12.sev RasGAP1^A13D rl^Sem.sev
Constructs (6)
	P{sE-KDN.T} P{sev-phyl} P{sevRas1.V12} P{sev-Sem} P{UAS-Ras85D.V12} PBac{PB}
Genes (17)
	alph aop B CG6036 CG7567 CG7568 CG11470 CG31041 ct elav ksr::tor phyl pros PTP-ER Ras85D RasGAP1 rl
Insertions (3)
	FB{}PTP-ER^XE-3022 P{lwB}aop^A141 PBac{PB}alph^c04528