A C. elegans E/Daughterless bHLH protein marks neuronal but not striated muscle development.
The E proteins of mammals, and the related Daughterless (DA) protein of Drosophila, are ubiquitously expressed helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription factors that play a role in many developmental processes. We report here the characterization of a related C. elegans protein, CeE/DA, which has a dynamic and restricted distribution during development. CeE/DA is present embryonically in neuronal precursors, some of which are marked by promoter activity of a newly described Achaete-scute-like gene hlh-3. In contrast, we have been unable to detect CeE/DA in CeMyoD-positive striated muscle cells. In vitro gel mobility shift analysis detects dimerization of CeE/DA with HLH-3 while efficient interaction of CeE/DA with CeMyoD is not seen. These studies suggest multiple roles for CeE/DA in C. elegans development and provide evidence that both common and alternative strategies have evolved for the use of related HLH proteins in controlling cell fates in different species.
Krause
M
M
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-0510, USA. mwkrause@helix.nih.gov
Park
M
M
Zhang
J M
JM
Yuan
J
J
Harfe
B
B
Xu
S Q
SQ
Greenwald
I
I
Cole
M
M
Paterson
B
B
Fire
A
A
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000737:chemistry; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019281:Dimerization; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000196:embryology; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; C090080:Da protein, Drosophila; C106514:HLH-2 protein, C elegans; C106515:HLH-3 protein, C elegans; C089199:ac protein, Drosophila; C089197:sc protein, Drosophila