Launching the germline in Caenorhabditis elegans: regulation of gene expression in early germ cells.
One hundred years after Weismann's seminal observations, the mechanisms that distinguish the germline from the soma still remain poorly understood. This review describes recent studies in Caenorhabditis elegans, which suggest that germ cells utilize unique mechanisms to regulate gene expression. In particular, mechanisms that repress the production of mRNAs appear to be essential to maintain germ cell fate and viability.
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. gseydoux@jhmi.edu
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D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000378:metabolism; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C100950:pie-1 protein, C elegans