FEBS Letters
Volume 572, Issue 1 , Pages 141-146, 13 August 2004

Germ-line specific variants of components of the mitochondrial outer membrane import machinery in Drosophila

Edited by Horst Feldmann

  • Jennifer J Hwa

      Affiliations

    • These authors contributed equally to this work.
    • ,
  • Alan J Zhu

      Affiliations

    • These authors contributed equally to this work.
    • ,
  • Mark A Hiller

      Affiliations

    • Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, 1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Baltimore, MD 21204, USA.
    • ,
  • Charlene Y Kon
    • ,
  • Margaret T Fuller

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding authors. Fax: +1-650-725-7739
    • ,
  • Ansgar Santel

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding authors. Fax: +1-650-725-7739
    • Present address: Atugen AG, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.

Departments of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

Received 6 May 2004; received in revised form 13 July 2004; accepted 15 July 2004.

Abstract 

A search of the Drosophila genome for genes encoding components of the mitochondrial translocase of outer membrane (TOM) complex revealed duplication of genes encoding homologues of Tom20 and Tom40. Tom20 and Tom40 were represented by two differentially expressed homologues in the Drosophila genome. While dtom20 and dtom40 appeared to be expressed ubiquitously, the second variants, called tomboy20 and tomboy40, were expressed only in the male germ-line. Transcripts for tomboy20 and tomboy40 were detected in primary spermatocytes as well as post-meiotic stages. Transcription of tomboy20 and tomboy40 in spermatocytes was not dependent on the transcription factor Cannonball, which is responsible for controlling expression of gene products exclusively required for post-meiotic germ cell differentiation. Epitope-tagging and transient expression of dTom20 and Tomboy40 in mammalian cell culture showed proper targeting to mitochondria.

Keywords:  Mitochondrial protein, Spermatogenesis, Gene duplication, Transcription, Cannonball, Mitochondrial import, TOM complex, Testis-specific, Drosophila

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PII: S0014-5793(04)00891-9

doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2004.07.025

FEBS Letters
Volume 572, Issue 1 , Pages 141-146, 13 August 2004

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