Transcriptional activation of eukaryotic protein coding genes is regulated by interactions between gene-specific enhancer-binding factors and components of the transcriptional complex. One of the most prominent targets of enhancer-binding factors is a family of proteins called TAFs (TBP-associated factors) that are components of the basal transcription factor IID (TFIID). This laboratory is interested in how TAFs contribute to transcriptional activation in vivo. Using Drosophila as a model system, we are focusing on genetic approaches to screen for mutations in known TAFs and to identify novel TAFs. Flies carrying mutations in TAFs are being used to investigate roles for TAFs in modulating the level of transcription of specific genes during development of the Drosophila embryo and eye. These studies should address whether all TAFs or only subsets of TAFs are required for the transcription of TAF-dependent genes in vivo, whether TAFs are required for developmental events that are particular to multicellular organisms, whether biochemical activities attributed to TAFs in vitro are required in vivo, and what the gene targets of TAFs are in vivo.
