Abstract
All organisms must be able to induce the appropriate response to physical and environmental stressors in order to protect the integrity of cellular processes. A major transcription factor that has been implicated in a variety of biological functions in response to physical and environmental stimuli is the Drosophila forkhead-related transcription factor (dFOXO). FOXO acts as a converging point for many different signaling pathways and regulates RNA synthesis of target genes involved in cell metabolism, growth, and survival. Upon activation, FOXO is primarily nuclear, while its inactive form is phosphorylated and degraded in the cytoplasm. Here I specifically explore the possible roles of the conserved SWV amino acid motif for dFOXO activation and localization. By cloning dFOXO with the SWV deletion and subsequently overexpressing it in S2 cells, I was able to analyze effects of the SWV deletion in comparison to wild type. Activity and localization were determined by dual luminescence assay and by nuclear cytoplasmic separation respectively. While it appears that dFOXO !SWV has similar transcription activation activity to that of wild type dFOXO, it does seem to have an increased retention within the cytoplasm under inductive conditions, suggesting a role outside of insulin signaling.