Stage-specific accumulation of the terminal differentiation factor LIN-29 during Caenorhabditis elegans development.
The Caenorhabditis elegans gene lin-29 is required for the terminal differentiation of the lateral hypodermal seam cells during the larval-to-adult molt. We find that lin-29 protein accumulates in the nuclei of these cells, consistent with its predicted role as a zinc finger transcription factor. The earliest detectable LIN-29 accumulation in seam cell nuclei is during the last larval stage (L4), following the final seam cell division, which occurs during the L3-to-L4 molt. LIN-29 accumulates in all hypodermal nuclei during the L4 stage. The time of LIN-29 appearance in the hypodermis is controlled by the heterochronic gene pathway: LIN-29 accumulates in the hypodermis abnormally early, during the third larval stage, in loss-of-function lin-14, lin-28 and lin-42 mutants, and fails to accumulate in hypodermis of lin-4 mutants. LIN-29 also accumulates stage-specifically in the nuclei of a variety of non-hypodermal cells during development. Its accumulation is dependent upon the upstream heterochronic genes in some, but not all, of these non-hypodermal cells.
Bettinger
J C
JC
Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Minnesota, St Paul 55108, USA.
Lee
K
K
Rougvie
A E
AE
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; C095571:LIN-29 protein, C elegans; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors