Spatial control of gene expression in flies using bacterially derived binary transactivation systems.

Abstract

Controlling gene expression is an instrumental tool for biotechnology, as it enables the dissection of gene function, affording precise spatial-temporal resolution. To generate this control, binary transactivational systems have been used employing a modular activator consisting of a DNA binding domain(s) fused to activation domain(s). For fly genetics, many binary transactivational systems have been exploited in vivo; however as the study of complex problems often requires multiple systems that can be used in parallel, there is a need to identify additional bipartite genetic systems. To expand this molecular genetic toolbox, we tested multiple bacterially-derived binary transactivational systems in Drosophila melanogaster including the p-CymR operon from Pseudomonas putida, PipR operon from Streptomyces coelicolor, TtgR operon from Pseudomonas putida, and the VanR operon from Caulobacter crescentus. Our work provides the first characterization of these systems in an animal model in vivo. For each system we demonstrate robust tissue-specific spatial transactivation of reporter gene expression, enabling future studies to exploit these transactivational systems for molecular genetic studies.