Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Developmental expression of a Drosophila actin gene encoding actin I

Nature volume 292, pages 556–558 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

The Drosophila melanogaster actin genes comprise a dispersed multigene family1,2 of six genes, one at each of six scattered chromosomal loci (refs 1,2 and unpublished observations). These genes encode the Drosophila actins I, II and III3,4, which can be separated in the isoelectric focusing dimension of two-dimensional gels. Actins II and III have been found in all tissues, with actin III an unstable species except in adult thorax5, while actin I, the most acidic form, appears during larval myogenesis both in vivo and in vitro3,4. Some actins therefore seem to be developmentally regulated. If individual members of a multigene family are regulated at the transcriptional level, this implies that developmental mechanisms of gene regulation can be elucidated by comparing gene family members. We report here a pattern of transcriptional activity of the D. melanogaster actin gene at the 79B chromosomal locus. Our results suggest that the 79B actin gene encodes actin I, the larval muscle-specific actin, and that actin I is synthesized initially as a precursor. The precursor co-migrates with cytoplasmic actin at the position of actin II and is subsequently acetylated to form actin I.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Tobin, S. L., Zulauf, E., Sanchez, F., Craig, E. A. & McCarthy, B. J. Cell 19, 121–131 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Fyrberg, E. A., Kindle, K. L., Davidson, N. & Sodja, A. Cell 19, 365–378 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Storti, R. V., Horovitch, S. J., Scott, M. P., Rich, A. & Pardue, M. L. Cell 13, 589–598 (1978).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Fyrberg, E. A. & Donady, J. J. Devl Biol. 68, 487–502 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Horovitch, S. J., Storti, R. V., Rich, A. & Pardue, M. L. J. Cell Biol. 82, 86–92 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Pollard, T. D. & Weihing, R. R. CRC crit. Rev. Biochem. 2, 1–65 (1974).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Kindle, K. L. & Firtel, R. A. Cell 15, 763–778 (1978).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cleveland, D. W. et al. Cell 20, 95–106 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gallwitz, D. & Sures, I. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 2546–2550 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ng, E. & Abelson, J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 3912–3916 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Maniatis, T. et al. Cell 15, 687–701 (1978).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bridges, C. B. J. Hered. 26, 60–64 (1935).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Bonner, J. J. & Pardue, M. L. Chromosoma (Berl.) 58, 87–99 (1976).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Maxam, A. M. & Gilbert, W. Meth. Enzym. 65, 499–560 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Rigby, P. W. J., Dieckmann, M., Rhodes, C. & Berg, P. J. molec. Biol. 113, 237–251 (1977).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Craig, E. A., McCarthy, B. J. & Wadsworth, S. C. Cell 16, 575–588 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Alwine, J. C., Kemp, D. J. & Stark, C. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5350–5354 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Ricciardi, R. P., Miller, J. S. & Roberts, B. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 4927–4931 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Pelham, H. R. B. & Jackson, R. J. Eur. J. Biochem. 67, 247–256 (1976).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. O'Farrell, P. H. J. biol. Chem. 250, 4007–4021 (1975).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Berger, E. et al. Biochem. Genet. 19, 321–331 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Traugh, J. A. & Sharp, S. B. J. biol. Chem. 252, 3738–3744 (1977).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Rubenstein, P. & Deuchler, J. J. biol. Chem. 254, 11142–11147 (1979).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Palmiter, R. D. J. biol. Chem. 252, 8781–8783 (1977).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Southern, E. M. J. molec. Biol. 98, 503–518 (1975).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Bailey, J. M. & Davidson, N. Analyt. Biochem. 72, 413–427 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Sara L. Tobin & Brian J. McCarthy

    Present address: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, 92717, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Erich Zulauf, Federico Sánchez, Ursula Rdest & Brian J. McCarthy

  2. Department of Genetics, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA

    Sara L. Tobin

Authors
  1. Erich Zulauf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Federico Sánchez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sara L. Tobin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ursula Rdest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Brian J. McCarthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zulauf, E., Sánchez, F., Tobin, S. et al. Developmental expression of a Drosophila actin gene encoding actin I. Nature 292, 556–558 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/292556a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/292556a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing