The stem-loop binding protein CDL-1 is required for chromosome condensation, progression of cell death and morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Histones play important roles not only in the structural changes of chromatin but also in regulating gene expression. Expression of histones is partly regulated post-transcriptionally by the stem-loop binding protein (SLBP)/hairpin binding protein (HBP). We report the developmental function of CDL-1, the C. elegans homologue of SLBP/HBP. In the C. elegans cdl-1 mutants, cell corpses resulting from programmed cell death appear later and persist much longer than those in the wild type. They also exhibit distinct morphological defects in body elongation and movement of the pharyngeal cells toward the buccal opening. The CDL-1 protein binds to the stem-loop structures in the 3'-UTR of C. elegans core histone mRNAs, and the mutant forms of this protein show reduced binding activities. A decrease in the amount of core histone proteins phenocopied the cdl-1 mutant embryos, suggesting that CDL-1 contributes to the proper expression of core histone proteins. We propose that loss-of-function of cdl-1 causes aberrant chromatin structure, which affects the cell cycle and cell death, as well as transcription of genes essential for morphogenesis.
Kodama
Yuki
Y
Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 113-0032, Japan.
Rothman
Joel H
JH
Sugimoto
Asako
A
Yamamoto
Masayuki
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D039221:mRNA Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factors
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C458499:cdl-1 protein, C elegans; D039221:mRNA Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factors