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Evolution of a transcriptional repression domain in an insect Hox protein

Nature volume 415, pages 910–913 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Homeotic (Hox) genes code for principal transcriptional regulators of animal body regionalization1. The duplication and divergence of Hox genes, changes in their regulation, and changes in the regulation of Hox target genes have all been implicated in the evolution of animal diversity2,3,4. It is not known whether Hox proteins have also acquired new activities during the evolution of specific lineages. Amino-acid sequences outside the DNA-binding homeodomains of Hox orthologues diverge significantly. These sequence differences may be neutral with respect to protein function, or they could be involved in the functional divergence of Hox proteins and the evolutionary diversification of animals. Here, we identify a transcriptional repression domain in the carboxy-terminal region of the Drosophila Ultrabithorax (Ubx) protein. This domain is highly conserved among Ubx orthologues in other insects, but is absent from Ubx in other arthropods and onychophorans. The evolution of this domain may have facilitated the greater morphological diversification of posterior thoracic and anterior abdominal segments characteristic of modern insects.

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Figure 1: Several protein motifs are shared among Ubx orthologues.
Figure 2: Localization of a repression domain in DUbx.
Figure 3: The QA domain is a repression domain.
Figure 4: A repression domain containing poly-alanine evolved in the insect lineage.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Ronshaugen and W. McGinnis for communication of results before publication. We thank D. Lewis for cloning and sequencing JcUbx; M. DeCamillis for providing Tribolium castaneum RNA; R. Mann for providing the Exd expression clone; N. Dostatni and A. Laughon for plasmids; J. Grenier for advice; K. Vorwerk and V. Kassner for technical support; A. Kopp, N. King and J. Grenier for comments; and J. Carroll for help with manuscript preparation. R.G. was supported by a National Institutes of Health predoctoral training grant provided to the Department of Genetics, and S.B.C. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, 1525 Linden Drive, USA

    Ron Galant & Sean B. Carroll

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  1. Ron Galant
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Correspondence to Sean B. Carroll.

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Galant, R., Carroll, S. Evolution of a transcriptional repression domain in an insect Hox protein. Nature 415, 910–913 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature717

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