MdaPK gene may = gek gene (?). - Levis, R. (2001)
Subject: MdaPK gene may = gek gene (?) The FlyBase report for the gene MdaPk describes it as having a putative molecular function as a protein serine/threonine kinase, as inferred from sequence similarity. Its location at 60B10-11 is based on the in situ hybridization position of the P element insertion in l(2)09373, which is the only known mutant allele. The two flanking sequences, which were recovered by inverse PCR with primers for the two ends of l(2)09373, map to different sites on the genome sequence, approximately 16 kb apart. The 3' flank maps very near the annotated 5' end of the gek gene. The FlyBase report for the gek gene also lists it as having a putative molecular function as a protein serine/threonine kinase, as inferred from sequence similarity. Its estimated cytogenetic location is 60B4-5. The 5' flank of l(2)09373 maps to a site between the 5' ends of the divergently transcribed genes CG4049 and CG3253. Neither of these genes has sequence similarity to a protein kinase. Looking over this information, it strikes me that MdaPk is probably the same gene as gek. The separate map positions of the two flanks of l(2)09373 suggest the possibility of two insertions 16 kb apart or a 16 kb deletion. Recessive lethal alleles of gek have been described. However, one cannot be certain without further testing whether the lethality of l(2)09373 is associated with the insertion/breakpoint adjacent to gek or between CG4049 and CG3253. \-- \------------------------------------ Robert W. Levis, Ph.D. Carnegie Institution of Washington \------------------------------------