[Region of the prune locus in Drosophila melanogaster is transcriptionally saturated].

Using Northern analysis three transcription areas are detected in the gene prune region from which three different mRNAs 1.8, 1.75 and 1.0 kb in length transcribe. Corresponded cDNAs are cloned. Only 1.8 kb mRNA is shown to be changed in size and quantity in the case of the pn1 and pn3 mutations. This mRNA seems to be a gene prune transcript. From the analysis of the portion of cDNA c1.1 nucleotide sequence corresponded 1.75 kb mRNA follows that its putative amino acid product contains a heme-binding site which is characterized for P450 cytochrome superfamily. On the basis of presented results and published data by Teng et al [1] it may be concluded that at least five different mRNAs transcribe in the gene prune region in area spanning about 10 kb.