Preliminary studies on the strawberry notch (sno) gene suggest that it functions together with the genes Notch, Serrate, deltex and the Enhancer of split complex in establishing a pathway of cell-cell communication that leads to the specification of cell fates. The sno mutation not only shares many of the phenotypes associated with mutations in these genes, but also displays strong genetic interactions with them. Additionally, duplications of Notch suppress most of the phenotypes observed in sno flies. A genetic analysis of sno has been completed, and it has been determined that the function of sno is needed in several specific steps of development in many different tissues. The sno gene has been localized through deficiency mapping to a single band of the X- chromosome. As part of this proposal, Dr. Banerjee will isolate the sno gene by chromosomal walking and characterize its gene product. A functional analysis will be initiated to determine the role of sno in the Notch related pathway. He hopes that the characterization of sno will help us understand the molecular basis for permissive interactions that are crucial in the determination of cell fate.
