Temporal and spatial pattern of dref expression during Drosophila bristle development.

The DNA replication-related element-binding factor (DREF) is a BED finger-type transcription factor that has important roles in cell cycle progression. In an earlier study, we showed that DREF is required for endoreplication during posterior scutellar macrochaete development. However, dynamic change in the dref expression in the cell lineage is unclear. In this study, we focused on the spatio-temporal pattern of expression of the dref gene during bristle development. Gene expression analysis using GAL4 enhancer trap lines of dref and the upstream activation sequence-green fluorescent protein with nuclear localization signals (UAS-GFPnls) in combination with immunostaining revealed the half-life of GFPnls in vivo (<6 hours) is short enough to monitor the dref gene expression. The analysis revealed that the dref expression occurs in clusters that include cells consisting of a bristle as well as surrounding epidermal cells. The intensity of GFP signals was almost the same in those cells, suggesting expression of the dref gene in bristle cell lineages occurs simultaneously in clusters. Further analysis showed that GFP signals increased twice during sensory organ precursor development as well as in bristle development at 9 hours and 15 hours after pupal formation, respectively. However, its expression was barely detectable in the cell lineages in and around asymmetric cell division or at other stages of development. For the first time, we clarified a spatio-temporal pattern of expression of the dref gene in vivo and revealed that expression of the dref gene occurs in clusters and is temporally regulated at specific times during bristle development.