Migrations of the Caenorhabditis elegans HSNs are regulated by egl-43, a gene encoding two zinc finger proteins.
During embryonic development, the two Caenorhabditis elegans HSN motor neurons migrate from their birthplace in the tail to positions near the middle of the embryo. Here, we demonstrate that of all cells that undergo long-range migrations, only the HSNs are affected in animals that lack function of the egl-43 gene. We also show that egl-43 function is required for normal development of phasmid neurons, which are sensory neurons located in the tail. The egl-43 gene encodes two proteins containing zinc finger motifs that are similar to the zinc fingers of the murine Evi-1 proto-oncoprotein. Our genetic and molecular results suggest that egl-43 encodes two transcription factors and acts to control HSN migration and phasmid neuron development, presumably by regulating other genes that function directly in these processes.
Garriga
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G
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
Guenther
C
C
Horvitz
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HR
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002465:Cell Movement; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C084226:Egl-43 protein, C elegans; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors