Posterior pattern formation in C. elegans involves position-specific expression of a gene containing a homeobox.
During postembryonic development in C. elegans, posterior-specific pattern formation requires the gene mab-5. Within the posterior body region, mab-5 activity controls epidermal, neuronal, and mesodermal cell differentiation, and also the direction of cell migration. Here, we show that mab-5 RNA is localized in the posterior body region, indicating that mab-5 activity is targeted to posterior cells, at least in part, by a mechanism that operates at the level of mab-5 RNA synthesis or stabilization. We also show that mab-5 contains a homeobox similar to that of the Drosophila Antennapedia gene. This suggests that mab-5 influences cell differentiation and cell migration by regulating gene expression, and clearly demonstrates that genes containing homeoboxes influence global aspects of pattern formation in organisms other than Drosophila.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D012333:RNA, Messenger