Max Background Information
Myc proto-oncogenes are involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and neoplasia. Myc acts through dimerization with Max to bind DNA and activate transcription. Homologs of the myc and max genes from the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and their protein products (dMyc and dMax) heterodimerize and recognize the same DNA sequence as their vertebrate homologs, and activate transcription. Drosophila melanogaster is a proven and effective model for studying developmental and cellular processes common to higher eukaryotes. Approximately 13,600 genes have been elucidated from more than 120 megabases of euchromatin, and they are organized among the chromosomes 2, 3, 4, X and Y, with the Y chromosome being predominately heterochromatic. Many of the proteins in Drosophila are structurally and functionally similar across species, as are the pathways involved in transducing intracellular signaling.
