title: Caenorhabditis elegans atx-2 promotes germline proliferation and the oocyte fate.
abstract: In the Caenorhabditis elegans germline, proliferation is induced by Notch-type signaling. Entry of germ cells into meiosis is triggered by activity of the GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways, which function redundantly to promote meiosis and/or inhibit proliferation. Activation of the germline Notch-type receptor, GLP-1, ultimately inhibits the activities of the GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways. We previously identified several ego (enhancer of glp-1) genes that promote germline proliferation and interact genetically with the GLP-1 signaling pathway. Here, we show that atx-2 is an ego gene. Our data suggest that ATX-2 is not a positive regulator of the GLP-1 signaling pathway and GLP-1 signaling is not the sole positive regulator of ATX-2 activity. Moreover, our data indicate that GLP-1 must have an additional function, which may be to repress activity of a third meiotic entry pathway that would work in parallel with the GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways. In addition to its role in proliferation, ATX-2 acts downstream of FOG-2 to promote the female germline fate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA. emmaine@syr.edu
authors.forename: Eleanor M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Maine
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Springer
authors.forename: Valarie E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Vought
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017089:Ankyrin Repeat; D000067528:Ataxins; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D005854:Germ Cells; D008540:Meiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011062:Polynucleotide Adenylyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000067528:Ataxins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C094448:GLD-1 protein, C elegans; C060620:Glp-1 protein, C elegans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; C491056:GLD-2 protein, C elegans; D011062:Polynucleotide Adenylyltransferase