The C. elegans cell lineage and differentiation gene unc-86 encodes a protein with a homeodomain and extended similarity to transcription factors.
Mutations in the gene unc-86 affect development of the nematode C. elegans by altering cell lineages and cell differentiation. We molecularly cloned unc-86 by chromosomal walking from linked polymorphic genetic loci, and identified the gene by locating polymorphisms specific for unc-86 alleles. A transcript containing a 467 amino acid open reading frame was inferred from the DNA sequence of a genomic clone. The unc-86 transcript encodes a protein containing a 158 amino acid sequence, referred to as the pou ("pow") domain, which is strikingly similar to sequences found in three mammalian transcription factors. Within this conserved region, there is a homeodomain related to but distinct from homeodomains previously identified in Drosophila and other organisms. These findings suggest that unc-86 encodes a transcription factor, and that the related mammalian transcription factors may function to control cell fates and cell differentiation.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors