Cloning and characterization of dRFX, the Drosophila member of the RFX family of transcription factors

The RFX family of transcription factors is characterized by a unique DNA bi nding domain. Five genes have been isolated in mammals, one gene in Caenorh abditis elegans and in the yeasts Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyc es cerevisiae. Whereas the roles of the RFX genes are beginning to be under stood in yeasts, no clear function has been reported in multicellular organ isms, except for RFX5, the most divergent member of the family. To study th e physiological role of RFX transcription factors using an alternative mult icellular model, we report the isolation and characterization of the Drosop hila RFX gene (dRFX). The fruit fly protein shares highly conserved domains with the mammalian factors RFX1 to 3 and is more closely related to this s ubgroup. It binds DNA with the same target specificity as mammalian factors RFX1 to 3. dRFX is located on chromosome III and we characterized the enti re locus. dRFX expression was analyzed during embryogenesis. dRFX mRNAs are detected only in the peripheral nervous system and in the brain of the emb ryo. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.