mom identifies a receptor for the Drosophila JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway and encodes a protein distantly related to the mammalian cytokine receptor family (original) (raw)

1. Hua-Wei Chen1,3,
2. Xiu Chen1,3,
3. Su-Wan Oh1,
4. Maria J. Marinissen2,
5. J. Silvio Gutkind2, and
6. Steven X. Hou1,4
7. 1The Laboratory of Immunobiology, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA; 2Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA

Abstract

The JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway controls numerous events in_Drosophila melanogaster_ development. Receptors for the pathway have yet to be identified. Here we have identified a Drosophila_gene that shows embryonic mutant phenotypes identical to those in the hopscotch (hop)/JAK kinase and marelle(mrl)/Stat92e mutations. We named this gene_master of marelle (mom). Genetic analyses place_mom_'s function between upd (the ligand) and_hop_. We further show that cultured cells transfected with the_mom_ gene bind UPD and activate the HOP/STAT92E signal transduction pathway. mom encodes a protein distantly related to the mammalian cytokine receptor family. These data show that_mom_ functions as a receptor of the Drosophila JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway.

• Drosophila
• JAK/STAT
• signal transduction
• cytokine receptor

Footnotes

• ↵3 These authors contributed equally to this work.

• ↵4 Corresponding author.

• E-MAIL shou{at}mail.ncifcrf.gov; FAX (301) 846-6145.

• Article and publication are at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.955202.

• • Received October 19, 2001.
  • Accepted December 6, 2001.

• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

•