title: ELT-3: A Caenorhabditis elegans GATA factor expressed in the embryonic epidermis during morphogenesis.
abstract: We have identified a gene encoding a new member of the Caenorhabditis elegans GATA transcription factor family, elt-3. The predicted ELT-3 polypeptide contains a single GATA-type zinc finger (C-X2-C-X17-C-X2-C) along with a conserved adjacent basic region. elt-3 mRNA is present in all stages of C. elegans development but is most abundant in embryos. Reporter gene analysis and antibody staining show that elt-3 is first expressed in the dorsal and ventral hypodermal cells, and in hypodermal cells of the head and tail, immediately after the final embryonic cell division that gives rise to these cells. No expression is seen in the lateral hypodermal (seam) cells. elt-3 expression is maintained at a constant level in the epidermis until the 2(1/2)-fold stage of development, after which reporter gene expression declines to a low level and endogenous protein can no longer be detected by specific antibody. A second phase of elt-3 expression in cells immediately anterior and posterior to the gut begins in pretzel-stage embryos. elt-1 and lin-26 are two genes known to be important in specification and maintenance of hypodermal cell fates. We have found that elt-1 is required for the formation of most, but not all, elt-3-expressing cells. In contrast, lin-26 function does not appear necessary for elt-3 expression. Finally, we have characterised the candidate homologue of elt-3 in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae. Many features of the elt-3 genomic and transcript structure are conserved between the two species, suggesting that elt-3 is likely to perform an evolutionarily significant function during development.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada. gilleard@acs.ucalgary.ca
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Gilleard
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Shafi
authors: J D
authors: JD
authors: Barry
authors: J D
authors: JD
authors: McGhee
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D019070:Cell Lineage; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004817:Epidermis / Q000196:embryology*; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors; D015870:Gene Expression; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007763:Lac Operon; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C096869:ELT-1 protein, C elegans; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C118721:elt-3 protein, C elegans; C090507:lin-26 protein, C elegans; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins