Maria Monastirioti

Dr. Maria Monastirioti

Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas, Nikolaou Plastira 100 GR-70013, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

24Years (2003-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications

14 August 2024 in Genes
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Maria MonastiriotiMaria Monastirioti
Maria Monastirioti
IKIoanna Koltsaki
Ioanna Koltsaki
IPIoanna Pitsidianaki
Ioanna Pitsidianaki
ESEmilia Skafida
Emilia Skafida
NBNikolaos Batsiotos
Nikolaos Batsiotos
CDChristos Delidakis
Christos Delidakis
Drosophila Hey is a basic helix–loop–helix–orange (bHLH-O) protein with an important role in the establishment of distinct identities of postmitotic cells. We have previously identified Hey as a transcriptional target and effector of Notch signalling during the asymmetric division of neuronal progenitors, generating neurons of two types, and we have shown that Notch-dependent expression of Hey also marks a subpopulation of the newborn enteroendocrine (EE) cells in the midgut primordium of the embryo. Here, we investigate the transcriptional regulation of Hey in neuronal and intestinal tissues. We isolated two genomic regions upstream of the promoter (HeyUP) and in the second intron (HeyIN2) of the Hey gene, based on the presence of binding motifs for Su(H), the transcription factor that mediates Notch activity. We found that both regions can direct the overlapping expression patterns of reporter transgenes recapitulating endogenous Hey expression. Moreover, we showed that while HeyIN2 represents a Notch-dependent enhancer, HeyUP confers both Notch-dependent and independent transcriptional regulation. We induced mutations that removed the Su(H) binding motifs in either region and then studied the enhancer functionality in the respective Hey mutant lines. Our results provide direct evidence that although both enhancers support Notch-dependent regulation of the Hey gene, their role is redundant, as a Hey loss-of-function lethal phenotype is observed only after deletion of all their Su(H) binding motifs by CRISPR/Cas9.