Drosophila Jing is part of the breathless fibroblast growth factor receptor positive feedback loop

Abstract

In the developing Drosophila trachea, extensive cell migration lays the foundation for an elaborate network of tubules to form. This process is controlled by the Drosophila fibroblast growth factor receptor, known as Breathless (Btl), whose expression is activated by the Trachealess (Trh) and Tango (Tgo) basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-PAS transcription factors. We previously identified the jing zinc finger transcription factor as a gene sensitive to the dosage of bHLH-PAS transcriptional activity and showed that its mutations interact genetically with those of trh and btl. Here, we demonstrate that jing is required for btl expression in the branching trachea and dominantly interacts with known regulators of btl expression, including the ETS and POU transcription factors, pointed, and drifter/ventral veinless, respectively. Furthermore, the zinc finger-containing C-terminus of Jing associates with a btl tracheal enhancer in a Trh/Tgo-dependent manner in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in vitro and interferes with btl in vitro and in vivo. Together, our results support a model by which Jing/Trh/Tgo complexes regulate btl transcript levels during primary tracheal branching.

Natural Genetic Variation and Candidate Genes for Morphological Traits in Drosophila melanogaster

“…Similarly, jing is a pleiotropic gene affecting several morphological traits [ 67 , 75 ] and, also, a candidate gene for developmental time [ 123 ]. jing is a zinc finger like transcription factor [ 126 – 127 ] required for wing development and to establish the proximal-distal axis of the leg in D . melanogaster [ 126 ].…”