Biomaterial Database

Control of cleavage cycles in Drosophila embryos by frühstart. 2003

Jörg Grosshans, and H Arno J Müller, and Eric Wieschaus

ZMBH, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. j.grosshans@zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de

Early metazoan development consists of cleavage stages characterized by rapid cell cycles that successively divide the fertilized egg. The cell cycle oscillator pauses when the ratio of DNA and cytoplasm (N/C) reaches a threshold characteristic for the species. This pause requires maternal factors as well as zygotic expression of as yet unknown genes. Here we isolate the zygotic gene frühstart of Drosophila and show that it is involved in pausing the cleavage cell cycle. frs is expressed immediately after the last cleavage division. It plays a role in generating a uniform pause and it can inhibit cleavage divisions when precociously expressed. Furthermore, the expression of frs is delayed in haploid embryos and requires activity of the maternal checkpoint gene grapes. We propose that zygotic frs expression is involved in linking the N/C and the pause of cleavage cycle.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D010641	Phenotype	The outward appearance of the individual. It is the product of interactions between genes, and between the GENOTYPE and the environment.	Phenotypes
D011494	Protein Kinases	A family of enzymes that catalyze the conversion of ATP and a protein to ADP and a phosphoprotein.	Protein Kinase,Kinase, Protein,Kinases, Protein
D002455	Cell Division	The fission of a CELL. It includes CYTOKINESIS, when the CYTOPLASM of a cell is divided, and CELL NUCLEUS DIVISION.	M Phase,Cell Division Phase,Cell Divisions,Division Phase, Cell,Division, Cell,Divisions, Cell,M Phases,Phase, Cell Division,Phase, M,Phases, M
D004331	Drosophila melanogaster	A species of fruit fly frequently used in genetics because of the large size of its chromosomes.	D. melanogaster,Drosophila melanogasters,melanogaster, Drosophila
D004625	Embryo, Nonmammalian	The developmental entity of a fertilized egg (ZYGOTE) in animal species other than MAMMALS. For chickens, use CHICK EMBRYO.	Embryonic Structures, Nonmammalian,Embryo, Non-Mammalian,Embryonic Structures, Non-Mammalian,Nonmammalian Embryo,Nonmammalian Embryo Structures,Nonmammalian Embryonic Structures,Embryo Structure, Nonmammalian,Embryo Structures, Nonmammalian,Embryo, Non Mammalian,Embryonic Structure, Non-Mammalian,Embryonic Structure, Nonmammalian,Embryonic Structures, Non Mammalian,Embryos, Non-Mammalian,Embryos, Nonmammalian,Non-Mammalian Embryo,Non-Mammalian Embryonic Structure,Non-Mammalian Embryonic Structures,Non-Mammalian Embryos,Nonmammalian Embryo Structure,Nonmammalian Embryonic Structure,Nonmammalian Embryos,Structure, Non-Mammalian Embryonic,Structure, Nonmammalian Embryo,Structure, Nonmammalian Embryonic,Structures, Non-Mammalian Embryonic,Structures, Nonmammalian Embryo,Structures, Nonmammalian Embryonic
D005260	Female		Females
D000071877	Checkpoint Kinase 1	A serine/threonine-specific protein kinase which is encoded by the CHEK1 gene in humans. Checkpoint kinase 1 (also known as Chk1) coordinates DNA damage response and cell cycle checkpoint response. Under these conditions, activation of Chk1 results in the initiation of cell cycle checkpoints, cell cycle arrest, DNA repair and cell death, to prevent damaged cells from progressing through the cell cycle.	Checkpoint-1 Kinase,Chk1 Kinase,Chk1 Protein Kinase,Protein Kinase, Chk1
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D017403	In Situ Hybridization	A technique that localizes specific nucleic acid sequences within intact chromosomes, eukaryotic cells, or bacterial cells through the use of specific nucleic acid-labeled probes.	Hybridization in Situ,Hybridization, In Situ,Hybridizations, In Situ,In Situ Hybridizations