AbstractTheDrosophilageneectodermal (ect, located at 67D8‐10 on chromosome 3) is expressed for a short period at mid‐embryogenesis in all ectodermally derived tissues except the nervous system. During this stage the tissues involved form tubular structures by a process of invagination followed by cell fusion. Here we report the sequence of theectprotein as deduced from the longest ORF (280 codons) of anectcDNA. The principal molecular features of theectprotein are: (1) a consensus leader sequence for targeting to the rough ER; (2) a central domain containing a remarkably high density of acidic residues arranged in large clusters separated by smaller clusters of hydrophobic residues; (3) a consensus nuclear‐targeting sequence near the C‐terminus; (4) a single tyrosine residue located at a potential tyrosine‐sulfation site. The antibody staining pattern of theectprotein corresponds to the in situ hybridization pattern of the transcript. A possible role for theectprotein in the complex process of fubular formation that occurs in embryonic ectodermal tissues is
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