@article{87606,
  keywords = {Animals, signal transduction, Mutation, RNA, Messenger, Protein Binding, Down-Regulation, Phenotype, Female, Male, Ovum, Drosophila melanogaster, Up-Regulation, Alleles, Drosophila Proteins, RNA-Binding Proteins, Clone Cells, Receptors, Notch, Wings, Animal, Ovarian Follicle, Sex Characteristics, Genes, Switch, Sex Determination Processes},
  author = {Jill Penn and Paul Schedl},
  title = {The master switch gene sex-lethal promotes female development by negatively regulating the N-signaling pathway.},
  abstract = { Notch (N) signaling is used for cell-fate determination in many different developmental contexts. Here, we show that the master control gene for sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster, Sex-lethal (Sxl), negatively regulates the N-signaling pathway in females. In genetic assays, reducing Sxl activity suppresses the phenotypic effects of N mutations, while increasing Sxl activity enhances the effects. Sxl appears to negatively regulate the pathway by reducing N protein accumulation, and higher levels of N are found in Sxl(-) clones than in adjacent wild-type cells. The inhibition of N expression does not depend on the known downstream targets of Sxl; however, we find that Sxl protein can bind to N mRNAs. Finally, our results indicate that downregulation of the N pathway by Sxl contributes to sex-specific differences in morphology and suggest that it may also play an important role in follicle cell specification during oogenesis. },
  year = {2007},
  journal = {Dev Cell},
  volume = {12},
  pages = {275-86},
  month = {02/2007},
  issn = {1534-5807},
  doi = {10.1016/j.devcel.2007.01.009},
  language = {eng},
}