Fates-shifted is an F-box protein that targets Bicoid for degradation and regulates developmental fa

Abstract

A Bicoid gradient drives patterning along the anterior–posterior axis in Drosophila embryos. Degradation of Bicoid by the F-box protein Fsd is shown to be required for the correct gradient profile of bicoid and developmental fate determination. Bicoid (Bcd) is a morphogenetic protein that instructs patterning along the anterior–posterior (A–P) axis in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. Despite extensive studies, what controls the formation of a normal concentration gradient of Bcd remains an unresolved and controversial question. Here, we show that Bcd protein degradation is mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We have identified an F-box protein, encoded by fates-shifted (fsd), that has an important role in Bcd protein degradation by targeting it for ubiquitylation. Embryos from females lacking fsd have an altered Bcd gradient profile, resulting in a shift of the fatemap along the A–P axis. Our study is an experimental demonstration that, contrary to an alternative hypothesis, Bcd protein degradation is required for normal gradient formation and developmental fate determination.

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Liu, J., Ma, J. Fates-shifted is an F-box protein that targets Bicoid for degradation and regulates developmental fate determination in Drosophila embryos. Nat Cell Biol 13, 22–29 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb2141

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