The C. elegans che-1 gene encodes a zinc finger transcription factor required for specification of the ASE chemosensory neurons.
Chemotaxis to water-soluble chemicals such as NaCl is an important behavior of C. elegans when seeking food. ASE chemosensory neurons have a major role in this behavior. We show that che-1, defined by chemotaxis defects, encodes a zinc-finger protein similar to the GLASS transcription factor required for photoreceptor cell differentiation in Drosophila, and that che-1 is essential for specification and function of ASE neurons. Expression of a che-1::gfp fusion construct was predominant in ASE. In che-1 mutants, expression of genes characterizing ASE such as seven-transmembrane receptors, guanylate cyclases and a cyclic-nucleotide gated channel is lost. Ectopic expression of che-1 cDNA induced expression of ASE-specific marker genes, a dye-filling defect in neurons other than ASE and dauer formation.
Uchida
Okiko
O
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University Graduate School, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
Nakano
Hiroyuki
H
Koga
Makoto
M
Ohshima
Yasumi
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
C473313:CHE-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C087289:gl protein, Drosophila