Abstract
A cDNA, coding for the first Drosophila melanogaster homolog of a family of proteins (FK506-binding proteins, FKBPs) which bind to the immunosuppressive drug FK506, was isolated. The deduced aa sequence corresponds to a 39-kDa product (FKBP39) which, besides a domain with similarity to FKBPs, has a highly charged domain with two strongly acidic stretches. The transcript could be detected in all developmental stages, with the highest expression in the embryo. In adult flies, the strongest signal was detected in the ovaries. Although the FKBP39 gene is expressed in the immunocompetent D. melanogaster blood cell line, mbn-2, the antibacterial defense reaction of these cells is unaffected by FK506.
