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The cell cycle depends on a sequence of steps that are triggered and terminated via the synthesis and degradation of phase-specific transcripts and proteins. Although much is known about how stage-specific transcription is activated, less is understood about how inappropriate gene expression is suppressed. Here, we demonstrate that Groucho, the Drosophila orthologue of TLE1 and other related human transcriptional corepressors, regulates normal cell cycle progression in vivo. We show that, although Groucho is expressed throughout the cell cycle, its activity is selectively inactivated by phosphorylation, except in S phase when it negatively regulates E2F1. Constitutive Groucho activity, as well as its depletion and the consequent derepression of e2f1, cause cell cycle phenotypes. Our results suggest that Cdk1 contributes to phase-specific phosphorylation of Groucho in vivo. We propose that Groucho and its orthologues play a role in the metazoan cell cycle that may explain the links between TLE corepressors and several types of human cancer., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2023. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

The early elongation checkpoint regulated by Positive Transcription Elongation Factor b (P-TEFb) is a critical control point for the expression of many genes. Spt5 interacts directly with RNA polymerase II and has an essential role in establishing this checkpoint, and also for further transcript elongation. Here we demonstrate that Drosophila Spt5 interacts both physically and genetically with the Polycomb Group (PcG) protein Pleiohomeotic (Pho), and the majority of Pho binding sites overlap with Spt5 binding sites across the genome in S2 cells. Our results indicate that Pho can interact with Spt5 to regulate transcription elongation in a gene specific manner.

Seven Enhancer of split genes in Drosophila melanogaster encode basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factors which are components of the Notch signalling pathway. They are expressed in response to Notch activation and mediate some effects of the pathway by regulating the expression of target genes. Here we have determined that the optimal DNA binding site for the Enhancer of split proteins is a palindromic 12-bp sequence, 5'-TGGCACGTG(C/T)(C/T)A-3', which contains an E-box core (CACGTG). This site is recognized by all of the individual Enhancer of split basic helix-loop-helix proteins, consistent with their ability to regulate similar target genes in vivo. We demonstrate that the 3 bp flanking the E-box core are intrinsic to DNA recognition by these proteins and that the Enhancer of split and proneural proteins can compete for binding on specific DNA sequences. Furthermore, the regulation conferred on a reporter gene in Drosophila by three closely related sequences demonstrates that even subtle sequence changes within an E box or flanking bases have dramatic consequences on the overall repertoire of proteins that can bind in vivo.