Dynamic expression of alternate splice forms of D-cbl during embryogenesis

The Cbl family of proteins act as E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases and have bee n associated with the down regulation of a variety of receptor tyrosine kin sases. Cbl proteins associate with many different cell signalling molecules suggesting that they may have functions outside of the RING finger-mediate d ubiquitin ligase activity. The Drosophila melanogaster cbl gene (D-chl) e ncodes two splice forms (Oncogene 19 (2000) 3299). Here we report on the di fferential expression of these isoforms during Drosophila embryogenesis. Ro th isoforms are maternally expressed but the long isoform of D-cbl is also transiently expressed in the invaginating mesoderm and later is specificall y expressed in neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). Cbl protein is shown to be localised to axons of the longitudinal connectives and commissu res in the central nervous system. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. A ll rights reserved.