Gene expression analyses from 3-day testes of D. melanogaster

Suppressor of Hairy-wing [Su(Hw)] is a globally expressed twelve-zinc finger transcription factor in Drosophila. Su(Hw) is well-known for its role in establishing the gypsy insulator within the gypsy retrotransposon. A direct role of Su(Hw) in gene activation and repression was uncovered through the study in the Drosophila oogenesis, revealing that Su(Hw)-dependent repression of neuronal genes is essential for egg production. Motivated from the spatially restricted expression of Su(Hw) in the testis, we investigated the role of Su(Hw) in spermatogenesis. We discovered that Su(Hw) is required for sperm development and male fertility. Data presented here examined the transcriptional role of Su(Hw) in the Drosophila testis. These studies identified ~400 genes with altered expression in the absence of Su(Hw). Coupled with whole-genome Su(Hw) binding profiles, we identified 145 direct targets of Su(Hw) regulation, of which ~80% show increased transcription upon Su(Hw) loss. Upregulated Su(Hw) targets are enriched for neuronal expression, emphasizing that Su(Hw) represents a functional homolog of mammalian REST that represses neuronal gene expression in non-neuronal tissues. RNAs were isolated from 3-day teses of wild type (Canton S and BL15598) and su(Hw) null mutants (su(Hw)2/v and su(Hw)A2663/2) Drosophila melanogaster.