Spätzle (gene)

Spätzle or Spaetzle (German for a type of noodle) is an evolutionarily-conserved arthropod protein first identified in Drosophila melanogaster.[1] It plays a role in embryonic development and in the insect innate immune response. The name was coined by the Nobel laureate Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard after the Spätzle noodle-like form of homozygous mutant fly larvae.[2]

Spätzle (gene)
Identifiers
OrganismDrosophila melanogaster
Symbolspz
UniProtP48607
Spätzle
Identifiers
SymbolSpaetzle
PfamPF16077
InterProIPR032104

Structure

Spätzle has a cystine knot structure supported by disulfide bridges, is glycosylated, and naturally forms a homodimer. Multiple forms are produced by alternative splicing.[3] It is produced as a preprotein, and needs to be activated by a serine protease called Spaetzle-processing Enzyme. The signal sequence spz[1-25] is first cleaved, followed by the spz[26-220] fragment, leaving the final spz[221-326] (Spaetzle C-106) part as the mature protein.[4]

Function
Toll signaling pathways in mammals, shrimp, and fruit flies

Homodimeric spz binds to a dimeric toll receptor in fruit flies and related organisms, thus activating the signaling cascade.[5]

Embryonic development

A component of the toll pathway, spz is involved in the formation of the dorso-ventral axis in embryonic development.

References
  1. Stein D, Nüsslein-Volhard C (February 1992). "Multiple extracellular activities in Drosophila egg perivitelline fluid are required for establishment of embryonic dorsal-ventral polarity". Cell. 68 (3): 429–40. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(92)90181-b. PMID 1739964.
  2. "Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard in Biologie | Schülerlexikon | Lernhelfer". www.lernhelfer.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  3. DeLotto Y, Smith C, DeLotto R (January 2001). "Multiple isoforms of the Drosophila Spätzle protein are encoded by alternatively spliced maternal mRNAs in the precellular blastoderm embryo". Molecular & General Genetics : MGG. 264 (5): 643–52. doi:10.1007/s004380000350. PMID 11212919.
  4. P48607
  5. Morisato D, Anderson KV (February 1994). "The spätzle gene encodes a component of the extracellular signaling pathway establishing the dorsal-ventral pattern of the Drosophila embryo". Cell. 76 (4): 677–88. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(94)90507-x. PMID 8124709.
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