Bioinformatics Analysis in Predicting Transcription Factors of Robo3 Gene in Drosophila melanogaster.
Muna A. Abdal Rhida1, 2*
1Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, AR, USA
2Department of Biology, Wasit University, Kut, Iraq,
Corresponding Author E-mail: mu.raheemn@gmail.com
Abstract: In bilaterian animals, axon guidance decisions are regulated by many transmembrane receptor proteins called Roundabout (Robo) family members. During the developmental stages of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), three Robo family members play unique roles in the central nervous system. Robo3 is revolutionarily conserved among taxa and studies show that Robo3 regulates mediolateral axonal navigation. Recent studies suggest that Robo3 guides longitudinal axons in a manner independent of its ligand (slit). The expression patterns of Robo3 are controlled by transcription factors (TFs) that play a significant role in gene regulation, and it is not a fully understood mechanism. Knowing the transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) of Robo3 would help to predict TFs that regulate Robo3. In this study, bioinformatics tools MEME Suite, TOMTOM, and MAST were utilized to analyze the Robo3 DNA sequence to identify putative TFs that assist as docking regions for TFs involved in the regulation of Robo3 gene expression. We found seven putative TFs: Btd, Opa, Mad, Odd, Twi, CF2, and h. Mapping these TF motifs against the Robo3 sequence showed that these motifs are located in many regions of the Robo3 gene. Understanding the roles of these TFs in Robo3 gene regulation would help to implement novel strategies to control and overcome disorders related to the Robo3 gene. This study aims to identify the unknown TFs that may play a critical role in Robo3 gene expression.
Keywords: Back to TOC