Evolutionarily Conserved DHX9/MLE Helicase Is Involved in the Regulation of Its Own MRNA Expression Level in Drosophila Melanogaster

The MLE helicase of D. melanogaster, like its ortholog DHX9 in mammals, is involved in a wide range of processes related to the regulation of gene expression. In the present study, we investigated the impact of the mle[9] mutation on its own mRNA expression level. It was shown that in addition to the previously described deletion in the catalytic domain of the protein, which impairs its helicase activity, the mle[9] mutation contains an additional small deletion in the C-terminal domain. In the mle[9] mutation background, there was a threefold increase in the expression of the main transcript of the mle gene encoding the full-length protein. Binding of MLE to chromatin at the coding region and promoters of the mle gene and nearby enhancers was analyzed. To exclude the influence of dosage compensation, experiments were performed on females. The data obtained indicate the role of MLE in specific regulation of its own mRNA expression level in vivo at the adult stage.