A global profile of germline gene expression in C. elegans.
We used DNA microarrays to profile gene expression patterns in the C. elegans germline and identified 1416 germline-enriched transcripts that define three groups. The sperm-enriched group contains an unusually large number of protein kinases and phosphatases. The oocyte-enriched group includes potentially new components of embryonic signaling pathways. The germline-intrinsic group, defined as genes expressed similarly in germlines making only sperm or only oocytes, contains a family of piwi-related genes that may be important for stem cell proliferation. Finally, examination of the chromosomal location of germline transcripts revealed that sperm-enriched and germline-intrinsic genes are nearly absent from the X chromosome, but oocyte-enriched genes are not.
Reinke
V
V
Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305, USA.
Smith
H E
HE
Nance
J
J
Wang
J
J
Van Doren
C
C
Begley
R
R
Jones
S J
SJ
Davis
E B
EB
Scherer
S
S
Ward
S
S
Kim
S K
SK
D000818:Animals; D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D014960:X Chromosome
D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C115306:FEM-1 protein, C elegans; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C108315:Mom-5 protein, C elegans; C530363:PRG-1 protein, C elegans; C530626:PRG-2 protein, C elegans; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; D051880:Receptors, Notch; C120104:WRM-1 protein, C elegans; C075059:fem-3 protein, C elegans; C491189:mom-1 protein, C elegans; C116498:piwi protein, Drosophila