A dicistronic gene pair within a cluster of "EF-hand" protein genes in the genomes of Drosophila species

Genomics. 2006 Sep;88(3):347-59. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2006.04.009. Epub 2006 Jun 5.

Abstract

Androcam is a Drosophila melanogaster calmodulin-related protein that functions specifically in the testis. We show that the Acam gene is part of a cluster of three intronless genes arranged in a head-to-tail manner. The additional genes also encode calmodulin-related proteins with testis-specific transcription. Acam and the 5'-most gene (gene1) generate monocistronic transcripts. Surprisingly, the central gene (gene2) is transcribed only as a dicistronic transcript with Acam. A similar cluster is found in D. yakuba. In D. pseudoobscura, the cluster contains four genes: two Acam-type genes downstream of a single gene related to both gene1 and gene2 and a fourth weakly related gene. Nevertheless, the D. pseudoobscura cluster also generates a dicistronic transcript from a gene pair analogous to the gene2-Acam pair. A cotranscribed gene1/2-Acam gene pair may be the founding feature of this locus. Although Acam protein is present in D. melanogaster and D. pseudoobscura testes, cognate proteins for the gene1/2-type ORFs are not detectable by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry techniques.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Drosophila / genetics*
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics*
  • Genome, Insect / genetics*
  • Multigene Family / genetics*
  • Open Reading Frames / genetics*
  • Species Specificity
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Acam protein, Drosophila
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins