TRA-1A regulates transcription of fog-3, which controls germ cell fate in C. elegans.
In C. elegans, the zinc-finger protein TRA-1A is thought to be the final arbiter of somatic sexual identity. We show that fog-3, which is required for germ cells to become sperm rather than oocytes, is a target of TRA-1A. First, northern analyses and RT-PCR experiments indicate that expression of fog-3 is controlled by tra-1. Second, studies of double mutants show that this control could be direct. Third, the fog-3 promoter contains multiple sites that bind TRA-1A in gel shift assays, and mutations in these sites alter activity of fog-3 in vivo. These results establish fog-3 as one of the first known targets of transcriptional regulation by TRA-1A. Furthermore, they show that tra-1 controls a terminal regulator of sexual fate in germ cells, just as it is thought to do in the soma.
Chen
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Department of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Ellis
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D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C115306:FEM-1 protein, C elegans; C403465:FOG-3 protein, C elegans; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C121025:tra-1 protein, C elegans; C097435:Fem-2 protein, C elegans; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases