In Caenorhabditis elegans, the RNA-binding domains of the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein FOG-1 are needed to regulate germ cell fates.
FOG-1 controls germ cell fates in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Sequence analyses revealed that FOG-1 is a cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding (CPEB) protein; similar proteins from other species have been shown to bind messenger RNAs and regulate their translation. Our analyses of fog-1 mutations indicate that each of the three RNA-binding domains of FOG-1 is essential for activity. In addition, biochemical tests show that FOG-1 is capable of binding RNA sequences in the 3'-untranslated region of its own message. Finally, genetic assays reveal that fog-1 functions zygotically, that the small fog-1 transcript has no detectable function, and that missense mutations in fog-1 cause a dominant negative phenotype. This last observation suggests that FOG-1 acts in a complex, or as a multimer, to regulate translation. On the basis of these data, we propose that FOG-1 binds RNA to regulate germ cell fates and that it does so by controlling the translation of its targets. One of these targets might be the fog-1 transcript itself.
Jin
S W
SW
Department of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Arno
N
N
Cohen
A
A
Shah
A
A
Xu
Q
Q
Chen
N
N
Ellis
R E
RE
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D026723:Polyadenylation; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011485:Protein Binding; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021381:Protein Transport; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D014162:Transfection
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C498431:fog-1 protein, C elegans; D012313:RNA