The Caenorhabditis elegans gene unc-76 and its human homologs define a new gene family involved in axonal outgrowth and fasciculation.
The gene unc-76 (unc, uncoordinated) is necessary for normal axonal bundling and elongation within axon bundles in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The UNC-76 protein and two human homologs identified as expressed sequence tags are not similar to previously characterized proteins and thus represent a new protein family. At least one of these human homologs can function in C. elegans, suggesting that it, like UNC-76, acts in axonal outgrowth. We propose that the UNC-76 protein, which is found in cell bodies and processes of all neurons throughout development, either has a structural role in the formation and maintenance of axonal bundles or transduces signals to the intracellular machinery that regulates axonal extension and adhesion.
Bloom
L
L
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA.
Horvitz
H R
HR
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009479:Neuropeptides; C105447:UNC-76 protein, C elegans