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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
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Drosophila producing a mutant form of the putative transcription coregulator, Split ends (Spen), originally identified in the analysis of neuronal development, display diverse immune defects. In order to understand the role of Spen in the innate immune response, we analyzed the transcriptional defects associated with spen mutant hemocytes and their relationship to the Notch signaling pathways. Spen is regulated by the Notch pathway in the lymph glands and is required for Notch-dependent activation of a large number of genes involved in energy metabolism and differentiation. Analysis of the epigenetic marks associated with Spen-dependent genes indicates that Spen performs its function as a coactivator by regulating chromatin modification. Intriguingly, expression of the Spen-dependent genes was transiently downregulated in a Notch-dependent manner by the Dif activated upon recognition of pathogen-associated molecules, demonstrating the existence of cross talk between hematopoietic regulation and the innate immune response. Our observations reveal a novel connection between the Notch and Toll/IMD signaling pathways and demonstrate a coactivating role for Spen in activating Notch-dependent genes in differentiating cells.
Mol Cell Biol 2009 Mar
PMID:Requirement of Split ends for epigenetic regulation of Notch signal-dependent genes during infection-induced hemocyte differentiation. 1913 77

Proteins of the Split ends (Spen) family are characterized by an N-terminal domain, with one or more RNA recognition motifs and a SPOC domain. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the Spen protein FPA is involved in the control of flowering time as a component of an autonomous pathway independent of photoperiod. The A. thaliana genome encodes another gene for a putative Spen protein at the locus At4g12640, herein named AtSpen2. Bioinformatics analysis of the AtSPEN2 SPOC domain revealed low sequence similarity with the FPA SPOC domain, which was markedly lower than that found in other Spen proteins from unrelated plant species. To provide experimental information about the function of AtSpen2, A. thaliana plants were transformed with gene constructs of its promoter region with uidA::gfp reporter genes; the expression was observed in vascular tissues of leaves and roots, as well as in ovules and developing embryos. There was absence of a notable phenotype in knockout and overexpressing lines, suggesting that its function in plants might be specific to certain endogenous or environmental conditions. Our results suggest that the function of Atspen2 diverged from that of fpa due in part to their different transcription expression pattern and divergence of the regulatory SPOC domain.
Genet Mol Biol
PMID:Expression analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana AtSpen2 gene, and its relationship with other plant genes encoding Spen proteins. 2885 Jun 35