Mst57Dc has been isolated as a male accessory gland transcript of Drosophil
a melanogaster. Its product is a secretory protein, which is phosphorylated
by protein kinase A, In the present study, the expression pattern of Mst57
Dc was analyzed. It is preferentially expressed in but not restricted to th
e male accessory glands, Other than in the accessory glands, it is slightly
expressed in other body parts, including the head and female body. In the
accessory glands, a high level of expression was detected right after eclos
ion when the titer of juvenile hormone In (JHTIII) reaches a peak. Its accu
mulation was increased by mating, which has been known to act via JH, In ap
(56f), a JH-deficient mutant, the level of Mst57Dc transcripts was about 60
% of the wild type. Moreover a JH-responsive element like palindromic seque
nce and several sequence motifs were found in the 5' and 3' flanking region
s of Mst57Dc, Taken together, JH is proposed as a regulator of Mst57Dc gene
expression.