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vas vasa [ Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) ]

Gene ID: 26067080, updated on 6-Jul-2026
Official Symbol
vasprovided by FlyBase
Official Full Name
vasaprovided by FlyBase
Primary source
FLYBASE:FBgn0283442
Locus tag
Dmel_CG46283
See related
AllianceGenome:FB:FBgn0283442
Gene type
protein coding
RefSeq status
REVIEWED
Organism
Drosophila melanogaster
Lineage
Eukaryota; Metazoa; Ecdysozoa; Arthropoda; Hexapoda; Insecta; Pterygota; Neoptera; Endopterygota; Diptera; Brachycera; Muscomorpha; Ephydroidea; Drosophilidae; Drosophila; Sophophora
Also known as
BG:DS00929.14; CG3506; CG43081; CG46283; cgt; DDX4; Dmel\CG46283; DmRH25; EP(2)0812; fs(2)ltoRJ36; Vas; VAS; Vasa; VASA
Old locus tag
Dmel_CG33678; Dmel_CG3506; Dmel_CG43081
Summary
Enables RNA helicase activity and mRNA 3'-UTR binding activity. Involved in several processes, including mitotic chromosome condensation; oogenesis; and regulation of gene expression. Located in several cellular components, including P granule; posterior cell cortex; and spectrosome. Is expressed in several structures, including egg chamber; germarium; germline cell; gonad; and gonadal sheath proper primordium. Orthologous to human DDX4 (DEAD-box helicase 4). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Jul 2025]
Orthologs
all
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Try the new Transcripts and proteins table
See vas in Genome Data Viewer
Location:
35B10-35C1; 2-51 cM
Exon count:
8
Annotation release Status Assembly Chr Location
Release 6.54 current Release 6 plus ISO1 MT (GCF_000001215.4) 2L NT_033779.5 (15061656..15074311)

Chromosome 2L - NT_033779.5Genomic Context describing neighboring genes Neighboring gene crinkled Neighboring gene uncharacterized protein Neighboring gene RNA polymerase II elongation factor Neighboring gene sisters on the loose Neighboring gene vasa intronic gene Neighboring gene white walker Neighboring gene uncharacterized protein

Genomic Sequence:
NT_033779.5 Chromosome 2L Reference Release 6 plus ISO1 MT Primary Assembly

Go to nucleotide: Graphics FASTA GenBank

Related articles in PubMed

  1. TP901-1 Phage Recombinase Facilitates Genome Engineering in Drosophila melanogaster. Voutev R, et al. G3 (Bethesda), 2019 Apr 9. PMID 30696702, Free PMC Article
  2. Germ line development in the grasshopper Schistocerca gregaria: vasa as a marker. Chang CC, et al. Dev Biol, 2002 Dec 1. PMID 12453463
  3. Identification of a transcriptional regulatory region for germline-specific expression of vasa gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Sano H, et al. Mech Dev, 2002 Mar. PMID 11850184
  4. Auxin-inducible degron system: an efficient protein degradation tool to study protein function. Phanindhar K, et al. Biotechniques, 2023 Apr. PMID 37191015
  5. Expression pattern of Bombyx vasa-like (BmVLG) protein and its implications in germ cell development. Nakao H, et al. Dev Genes Evol, 2006 Feb. PMID 16261344

See all (875) citations in PubMed

GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?
  1. Vasa is essential for the germ cell lineage maintenance.
    Title: Germ Cell Lineage Homeostasis in Drosophila Requires the Vasa RNA Helicase.
  2. REVIEW: Present state of knowledge about processes during oogenesis that involve Vas, as well as functions of Vas as a maternal determinant of embryonic spatial patterning and germ cell specification
    Title: Multiple Functions of the DEAD-Box Helicase Vasa in Drosophila Oogenesis.
  3. Study shows that, in vivo, the localization of Drosophila Vasa to the nuage and germ plasm depends on its interaction with LOTUS domain proteins. The binding and stimulation of Vasa DEAD-box helicases by LOTUS domains are widely conserved.
    Title: The LOTUS domain is a conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase regulator essential for the recruitment of Vasa to the germ plasm and nuage.
  4. Replacing Trp660 by Glu (W660E) abolishes the ability of Vas to support germ cell formation and embryonic patterning and greatly reduces Vas activity in piRNA biogenesis, as measured by transposon silencing, and in activating Grk translation; results indicate that the unique C-terminus of Vas is essential for its function in piRNA biogenesis and that the conserved Trp660 residue has an important functional role.
    Title: C-terminal residues specific to Vasa among DEAD-box helicases are required for its functions in piRNA biogenesis and embryonic patterning.
  5. The study suggests that both the localization and the translation of gurken mRNA in the vitellarium is independent from Vasa.
    Title: Combining the auxin-inducible degradation system with CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing for the conditional depletion of endogenous Drosophila melanogaster proteins.
Submit: New GeneRIF Correction

Homology

Gene Ontology Provided by FlyBase

Function Evidence Code Pubs
enables ATP binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables ATP hydrolysis activity EXP
Inferred from Experiment
more info
 PubMed 
enables ATP hydrolysis activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables RNA helicase activity IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables RNA helicase activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables RNA helicase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables mRNA binding IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables nucleic acid binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables protein binding IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
enables translation initiation factor binding IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
Process Evidence Code Pubs
involved_in cell differentiation IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in gamete generation IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in germ cell development IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in intracellular protein localization IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in regulatory ncRNA-mediated gene silencing IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
involved_in secondary piRNA processing IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
Component Evidence Code Pubs
is_active_in P granule IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
is_active_in P granule IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in P granule IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in cytoplasm EXP
Inferred from Experiment
more info
 PubMed 
located_in cytoplasm IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in cytoplasm IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granule IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in germ cell nucleus IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
is_active_in nucleus IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
located_in perinuclear region of cytoplasm IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in posterior cell cortex IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
Preferred Names
vasa
Names
CG46283-PA
CG46283-PB
CG46283-PC
VASA
Vas
courgette
female sterile(2)ltoRJ36
no-relish
vas-PA
vas-PB
vas-PC
NP_001260458.1
NP_001303322.1
NP_723899.1

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Genome Annotation

The following sections contain reference sequences that belong to a specific genome build. Explain

Reference assembly

Genomic

  1. NT_033779.5 Reference assembly

    Range
    15061656..15074311
    Download
    GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. NM_001273529.2 → NP_001260458.1  vasa, isoform B

    See identical proteins and their annotated locations for NP_001260458.1

    Status: REVIEWED

    UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot
    P09052, Q24582, Q8SXU8, Q9V3Q8
    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    M9PBB5
    Conserved Domains (3) summary
    smart00487
    Location:260 → 467
    DEXDc; DEAD-like helicases superfamily
    cd00268
    Location:247 → 454
    DEADc; DEAD-box helicases. A diverse family of proteins involved in ATP-dependent RNA unwinding, needed in a variety of cellular processes including splicing, ribosome biogenesis and RNA degradation. The name derives from the sequence of the Walker B motif ...
    pfam00271
    Location:475 → 584
    Helicase_C; Helicase conserved C-terminal domain

  2. NM_165103.3 → NP_723899.1  vasa, isoform A

    See identical proteins and their annotated locations for NP_723899.1

    Status: REVIEWED

    UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot
    P09052, Q24582, Q8SXU8, Q9V3Q8
    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    M9PBB5
    Conserved Domains (3) summary
    smart00487
    Location:260 → 467
    DEXDc; DEAD-like helicases superfamily
    cd00268
    Location:247 → 454
    DEADc; DEAD-box helicases. A diverse family of proteins involved in ATP-dependent RNA unwinding, needed in a variety of cellular processes including splicing, ribosome biogenesis and RNA degradation. The name derives from the sequence of the Walker B motif ...
    pfam00271
    Location:475 → 584
    Helicase_C; Helicase conserved C-terminal domain

  3. NM_001316393.1 → NP_001303322.1  vasa, isoform C

    Status: REVIEWED

    UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot
    P09052, Q24582, Q8SXU8, Q9V3Q8
    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    M9PBB5
    Conserved Domains (3) summary
    smart00487
    Location:260 → 467
    DEXDc; DEAD-like helicases superfamily
    cd00268
    Location:247 → 454
    DEADc; DEAD-box helicases. A diverse family of proteins involved in ATP-dependent RNA unwinding, needed in a variety of cellular processes including splicing, ribosome biogenesis and RNA degradation. The name derives from the sequence of the Walker B motif ...
    pfam00271
    Location:475 → 584
    Helicase_C; Helicase conserved C-terminal domain
Nucleotide Protein
Heading Accession and Version
Protein Accession Links
GenPept Link UniProtKB Link
M9PBB5 M9PBB5
P09052.3 P09052

Gene LinkOut

The following LinkOut resources are supplied by external providers. These providers are responsible for maintaining the links.

Other Literature Sources
Molecular Biology Databases
Research Materials