GO_REF:0000002

Gene Ontology annotation through association of InterPro records with GO terms

GO_REF:0000033

Annotation inferences using phylogenetic trees

GO_REF:0000120

Combined Automated Annotation using Multiple IEA Methods

PMID:12941621

Spdeadringer, a sea urchin embryo gene required separately in skeletogenic and oral ectoderm gene regulatory networks.

Spdri encodes an ARID-class transcription factor and is a key node in two separate GRNs (skeletogenic micromere lineage and oral ectoderm).

"The Spdeadringer (Spdri) gene encodes an ARID-class transcription factor not previously known in sea urchin embryos. We show that Spdri is a key player in two separate developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs)."
Expression is biphasic, in the skeletogenic large-micromere descendants from 12 h to ingression and then in the oral ectoderm from about 20 h, and in both territories follows prior specification events.

"Spdri is expressed in a biphasic manner, first, after 12 h and until ingression in the skeletogenic descendants of the large micromeres; second, after about 20 h in the oral ectoderm, where its transcripts remain present at 30-50 mRNA molecules/cell far into development. In both territories, the periods of Spdri expression follow prior territorial specification events."
In the micromere descendants Dri acts in the pathways leading to expression of the terminal skeletogenic gene batteries; morpholino knockdown causes failure of spiculogenesis and of PMC patterning.

"Spdri is shown to act in the micromere descendants in the pathways that result in the expression of batteries of terminal skeletogenic genes."
Dri is required cell-autonomously in the micromere lineage for skeletogenic gene expression before ingression (micromere transplant chimeras).

"while Spdri expression is required autonomously for expression of skeletogenic genes prior to ingression, complete skeletogenesis also requires the expression of oral ectoderm patterning information."
In the oral ectoderm Dri participates in the central GRN controlling oral ectoderm identity; knockdown abolishes oral features and the aboral marker spec1 spreads over the whole ectoderm.

"If its expression is blocked by treatment with alphaSpdri MASO, oral-specific features disappear and expression of the aboral ectoderm marker spec1 encompasses the whole of the ectoderm."
The gastrulation failure after knockdown is indirect and not due to a defect in endomesoderm specification.

"Failure of gastrulation is not due to indirect interference with endomesodermal specification per se, since all endomesodermal genes tested function normally in alphaSpdri MASO embryos."

PMID:16574094

cis-Regulatory control of cyclophilin, a member of the ETS-DRI skeletogenic gene battery in the sea urchin embryo.

Dri (with Ets1) is a direct, positive driver of the skeletogenic differentiation gene Sp-cyp1; Dri target sites in the 218-bp cis-regulatory module are required for expression and removal of the Dri input depresses reporter activity.

"elimination of either Ets1 or Dri inputs severely depresses the activity of expression constructs containing this DNA fragment; and that Ets1 and Dri target sites within the 218 bp fragment are required for normal expression. This indicates that the predicted inputs are direct."
Ets1 plus Dri inputs define a skeletogenic differentiation gene battery.

"these genes probably constitute a skeletogenic gene battery, defined by its Ets plus Dri regulatory inputs."

PMID:18718463

The surprising complexity of the transcriptional regulation of the spdri gene reveals the existence of new linkages inside sea urchin's PMC and Oral Ectoderm Gene Regulatory Networks.

A 4.7-kb spdri genomic fragment drives GFP in both expression phases and responds to the known upstream regulators Ets1, Alx1, Gsc and Dri itself.

"the reporter responded to known spdri's transcriptional regulators (Ets1, Alx1, Gsc and Dri)."
In both phases spdri activation integrates global positive inputs, negative inputs preventing ectopic expression, and tissue-specific positive inputs.

"Both in the PMCs' and Oral Ectoderm's expression phases, activation of spdri is obtained through the integration of three kinds of inputs: positive and globally distributed ones; negative ones (that prevent ectopic expression); positive and tissue-specific ones."

PMID:18413610

Global regulatory logic for specification of an embryonic cell lineage.

dri is one of the skeletogenic differentiation-phase regulatory genes, receiving inputs from tbr and alx1, and its product is among the drivers required by the skeletogenic differentiation genes.

"The tbr and alx1 genes also provide inputs into the additional skeletogenic differentiation genes dri and foxb."
The skeletogenic differentiation genes require as drivers the products of the skeletogenic regulatory state, including Dri.

"these differentiation genes require as drivers products of all of the now familiar components of the skeletogenic regulatory state ( alx1 , ets1 , tbr , tel , erg , hex , foxb , dri )"

PMID:19268450

A perturbation model of the gene regulatory network for oral and aboral ectoderm specification in the sea urchin embryo.

dri is among the definitive early oral ectoderm regulatory genes released by the Gsc-controlled repressor gate, and is later confined to the oral "face" epithelium with gsc and hes.

"The definitive set of early regulatory genes in the oral ectoderm, including dri, bra,, and hes all are under repressor A control, as evinced by their sharp decrease in expression when gsc mRNA translation is prevented by MASO treatment."
dri knockdown, like hnf6 and gsc knockdown, causes the aboral marker spec1 to spread over the whole ectoderm, showing that the oral GRN controls exclusion of the aboral regulatory state.

"treatments which interfere with the operation of the GRN, such as knock-down of dri (Amore et al., 2003), of hnf6 (Otim et al., 2004), or of gsc (Angerer et al., 2001), all cause expression of spec1 to spread around the whole ectoderm."