TAF(II) MUTATIONS DISRUPT DORSAL ACTIVATION IN THE DROSOPHILA EMBRYO

In this study, we present evidence that the Dorsal activator interacts with limiting amounts of the TFIID complex in the Drosophila embryo. In vitro transcription reactions and protein binding assays implicate the TAF(II)110 and TAF(II)60 subunits of the TFIID complex in contribu ting to Dorsal-mediated activation. Mutations in TAF(II)110 and TAF(II )60 result in altered patterns of snail and twist transcription in emb ryos derived from dl/+ females. These results suggest that TAF(II)s co ntribute to the activation of transcription in vivo and support the hy pothesis that subunits of TFIID may serve as targets of enhancer bindi ng proteins.