PR00025

ANTENNAPEDIA

PRINTS entry
Member databasePRINTS
PRINTS typefamily
Short nameANTENNAPEDIA

Description
Imported from IPR017995

The homeobox is a 60-residue motif first identified in a number of Drosophila homeotic and segmentation proteins, but now known to be well-conserved in many other animals, including vertebrates
[1, 2]
. Proteins containing homeobox domains are likely to play an important role in development - most are known to be sequence-specific DNA-binding transcription factors. The domain binds DNA through a helix-turn-helix (HTH) structure.

Many homeodomain-containing proteins have now been sequenced and, while the homeodomain flanking regions vary, characteristic conserved sequences upstream of the domain allow the proteins to be grouped into 3 subfamilies: the so-called antennapedia, engrailed and 'paired box' proteins. Antennapedia, which regulates the formation of leg structures in Drosophila, was one of the first homeotic genes studied and led to the discovery of the homeobox domain. Over expression of this gene in the wrong segment of the fruit fly can lead to the formation of leg structures in these segments. For example, over expression in the head segment can lead to the formation of legs instead of antennae (hence the name antennapedia). The sequences of the antennapedia proteins contain a conserved hexapeptide 5-16 residues upstream of the homeobox, the specific function of which is unclear. The six Drosophila proteins that belong to this group are antennapedia (Antp), abdominal-A (abd-A), deformed (Dfd), proboscipedia (pb), sex combs reduced (scr) and ultrabithorax (ubx) and are collectively known as the 'antennapedia' subfamily.

In vertebrates the corresponding Hox genes are known
[3]
as Hox-A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, Hox-B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, Hox-C4, C5, C6, C8, Hox-D1, D3, D4 and D8.

Caenorhabditis elegans lin-39 and mab-5 are also members of the 'antennapedia' subfamily.

Arg and Lys are most frequently found in the last position of the hexapeptide; other amino acids are found in only a few cases.

References
Imported from IPR017995

1.The homeobox in perspective. Gehring WJ. Trends Biochem. Sci. 17, 277-80, (1992). View articlePMID: 1357790

2.The structure and function of the homeodomain. Scott MP, Tamkun JW, Hartzell GW 3rd. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 989, 25-48, (1989). View articlePMID: 2568852

3.Vertebrate homeobox gene nomenclature. Scott MP. Cell 71, 551-3, (1992). View articlePMID: 1358459

Supplementary References

1. Specific DNA binding of the two chicken Deformed family homeodomain proteins, Chox-1.4 and Chox-a. Sasaki H, Yokoyama E, Kuroiwa A. Nucleic Acids Res. 18, 1739-47, (1990). View articlePMID: 1970866

2. Homeo boxes in the study of development. Gehring WJ. Science 236, 1245-52, (1987). View articlePMID: 2884726

3. Quox-1, a quail homeobox gene expressed in the embryonic central nervous system, including the forebrain. Xue ZG, Gehring WJ, Le Douarin NM. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 2427-31, (1991). View articlePMID: 1672453

4. Progressively restricted expression of a homeo box gene within the aboral ectoderm of developing sea urchin embryos. Angerer LM, Dolecki GJ, Gagnon ML, Lum R, Wang G, Yang Q, Humphreys T, Angerer RC. Genes Dev. 3, 370-83, (1989). View articlePMID: 2566559

5. Crystallization of a complex of cro repressor with a 17 base-pair operator. Brennan RG, Takeda Y, Kim J, Anderson WF, Matthews BW. J. Mol. Biol. 188, 115-8, (1986). View articlePMID: 2940371

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