Characterization of an SRY-like gene, DSox14, from Drosophila

We have characterized the DSox14 gene, a new member of the family of transc ription factors related to the mammalian sex determining factor. SRY. It co ntains two exons and the intron is large for Drosophila at 2.8 kb. The enco ded protein consists of 691 amino acids (72 kDa) and includes an HMG box do main, which is closely related to the mouse Sox4 DNA binding domain. Expres sion of the DSox14 HMG box domain in vitro shows that it binds the sequence AACAAT with a K-d of 190 nM, generating a bend angle of 48.6 degrees. At h igher protein concentrations, a second HMG box binds at the recognition seq uence, increasing the bend angle by 5 degrees. DSox14 is variably expressed throughout development as three alternative transcripts but not at all dur ing the 1st and 2nd larval instars. The several mRNA transcripts are produc ed primarily from different transcriptional start sites. Analysis of the ex pression of DSox14 mRNAs during early development shows that they are mater nally contributed at a low level and ubiquitously expressed during embryoge nesis. The widespread pattern of expression suggests that DSox14 affects a large number of target genes. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.