How do you think Drosophila sex determination would be affected if you deleted t

Question

How do you think Drosophila sex determination would be affected if you deleted the coding sequence for the RS domain from the tra-1 gene? In your answer, incorporate a discussion of the structural and functional differences between splicing activators and repressors. How do you think Drosophila sex determination would be affected if you deleted the coding sequence for the RS domain from the tra-1 gene? In your answer, incorporate a discussion of the structural and functional differences between splicing activators and repressors.

Explanation / Answer

Transformer (tra) is a switch gene in the somatic sex-determination hierarchy that regulates sexual dimorphism based on RNA splicing in many insects. TRA/TRA-2 proteins are splicing regulators promoting and maintaining, epigenetically, female sex determination by a tra positive feedback loop in XX individuals during development. In short it can be said-

1.tra can be alternatively spliced to give sex-nonspecific RNA and female specific RNA.

2.Non-specific RNA includes a stop codon and produces no active product. Its splicing is regulated by Sxl and unaffected by tra-2. Sxl blocks use of the non-specific acceptor site.

3.Sxl has no effect on tra-2 transcripts. Sxl exerts control of somatic sex solely by effects on tra.

4.Tra-2 is only functionally active in the presence of tra gene product. Active product of tra-2 has homology to RNA-binding domains of splicing factors.

5.These proteins include splicing activators that promote the usage of a particular splicesite, and splicing repressors that reduce the usage of a particular site.

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