Pioneer axon guidance by UNC-129, a C. elegans TGF-beta.
The unc-129 gene, like the unc-6 netrin gene, is required to guide pioneer motoraxons along the dorsoventral axis of Caenorhabditis elegans. unc-129 encodes a member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of secreted signaling molecules and is expressed in dorsal, but not ventral, rows of body wall muscles. Ectopic expression of UNC-129 from ventral body wall muscle disrupts growth cone and cell migrations that normally occur along the dorsoventral axis. Thus, UNC-129 mediates expression of dorsoventral polarity information required for axon guidance and guided cell migrations in C. elegans.
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada.
A
A
Colavita
S
S
Krishna
H
H
Zheng
R W
RW
Padgett
J G
JG
Culotti
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D019521:Body Patterning; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002465:Cell Movement; D015870:Gene Expression; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000075385:Netrins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000075385:Netrins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C113622:UNC-129 protein, C elegans; C078146:UNC-6 protein, C elegans; C077588:UNC-5 protein, C elegans