A Drosophila Homolog of the Yeast Origin Recognition Complex

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 270; no. 5242; pp. 1674 - 1677
• Main Authors: Gossen, Manfred, Daniel T. S. Pak, Hansen, Stig K., Acharya, Jairaj K., Botchan, Michael R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 08.12.1995; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Cloning, Molecular; Complementary DNA; DNA; DNA Replication; DNA, Complementary - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - analysis; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - physiology; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila melanogaster - chemistry; Drosophila melanogaster - embryology; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Embryo, Nonmammalian - chemistry; Embryos; Fractions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Insect; Genetic aspects; Genetic transcription; Genomics; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Weight; Open reading frames; Origin Recognition Complex; Replication; Replication Origin; Repressor Proteins - analysis; Repressor Proteins - chemistry; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - physiology; Saccharomyces; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Sequence Homology; Transcription (Genetics); Yeasts; Embryonic development; Nucleotide sequence; Insecta; Replication initiation; Homology; Gene expression; Drosophilidae; Complementary DNA; Gene; Arthropoda; Molecular complex; Invertebrata; Drosophila melanogaster; Diptera; Nuclear protein
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.270.5242.1674

Genes for Drosophila melanogaster have been identified that encode proteins homologous to Orc2p and Orc5p of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae origin recognition complex (ORC). The abundance of the Drosophila Orc2p homolog DmORC2 is developmentally regulated and is greatest during the earliest stages of embryogenesis, concomitant with the highest rate of DNA replication. Fractionation of embryo nuclear extracts revealed that DmORC2 is found in a tightly associated complex with five additional polypeptides, much like the yeast ORC. These studies will enable direct testing of the initiator-based model of replication in a metazoan.