@article{11b2083ae3354b45a90883e9416fcdc2,
title = "Hunchback is counter-repressed to regulate even-skipped stripe 2 expression in Drosophila embryos",
abstract = "Hunchback is a bifunctional transcription factor that can activate and repress gene expression in Drosophila development. We investigated the regulatory DNA sequence features that control Hunchback function by perturbing enhancers for one of its target genes, even-skipped (eve). While Hunchback directly represses the eve stripe 3+7 enhancer, we found that in the eve stripe 2+7 enhancer, Hunchback repression is prevented by nearby sequences—this phenomenon is called counter-repression. We also found evidence that Caudal binding sites are responsible for counter-repression, and that this interaction may be a conserved feature of eve stripe 2 enhancers. Our results alter the textbook view of eve stripe 2 regulation wherein Hb is described as a direct activator. Instead, to generate stripe 2, Hunchback repression must be counteracted. We discuss how counter-repression may influence eve stripe 2 regulation and evolution.",
author = "Vincent, {Ben J.} and Staller, {Max V.} and Francheska Lopez-Rivera and Bragdon, {Meghan D.J.} and Pym, {Edward C.G.} and Biette, {Kelly M.} and Zeba Wunderlich and Harden, {Timothy T.} and Javier Estrada and DePace, {Angela H.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was generously supported by the Albert J. Ryan Foundation (to BJV), the Harvard Herchel Smith Graduate Student Fellowship (to MVS), the Research Scholar Initiative (to FL-R), the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (to ZW), the Novartis Fellows Fund (to JE), the Giovanni Armenise Foundation (to AHD), the National Institutes of Health (U01GM103804, R21HD072481, and R01GM122928 to AHD, K99/R00 HD73191 to ZW, and F32GM128310 to TTH), and the National Science Foundation (CAREER-IOS 1452557 and Collaborative Research MCB 1715184 to AHD). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors gratefully acknowledge Steve Small for the sna::hb flies, as well as all members of the DePace Lab for helpful comments on the manuscript. Clarissa Scholes deserves particular recognition for her incisive and thorough commentary. Finally, we would like to acknowledge our editor and two anonymous reviewers, whose comments and suggestions greatly improved the clarity and rigor of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 Vincent et al. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.",
year = "2018",
month = sep,
doi = "10.1371/journal.pgen.1007644",
language = "English",
volume = "14",
journal = "PLoS Genetics",
issn = "1553-7390",
number = "9",
}