title: Signal transduction and cell fate specification during Caenorhabditis elegans vulval development.
abstract: A receptor tyrosine kinase/Ras signaling pathway controls the specification of vulval cell fates in Caenorhabditis elegans. Recently, C. elegans genes encoding proteins with similarity to mammalian Raf (lin-45), mitogen-activated protein kinase (mpk-1/sur-1), and an HNF-3 transcription factor (lin-31) have been identified and shown to act downstream of let-60 (ras) in this pathway. These genetically identified gene products bridge the gap between signal transduction at the plasma membrane and the control of cell fate specification in the nucleus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Beckman Center, Stanford University Medical Center, California 94305.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Eisenmann
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology; D004627:Embryonic Induction / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D011905:Genes, ras; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007814:Larva; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014844:Vulva / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; C082460:Lin-12 protein, C elegans; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D014157:Transcription Factors; C081464:lin-31 protein, C elegans; C066646:let-60 protein, C elegans; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; C085697:mpk-1 protein, C elegans; D018631:ras Proteins