title: mau-2 acts cell-autonomously to guide axonal migrations in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: The gene mau-2 has been found to be required for the guidance of cellular and axonal migrations along both the anteroposterior and the dorsoventral body axes during the development of the nematode C. elegans. We show that mau-2 encodes a novel, previously uncharacterized protein that is highly conserved among animals. Maternal mau-2 gene expression is sufficient for normal development until the fourth larval stage, and a MAU-2::GFP fusion protein localizes to the cytoplasm of neurones. mau-2 is ubiquitously expressed in embryos by late gastrulation and becomes predominantly expressed in the nervous system as morphogenesis progresses. Expression of mau-2 within individual neurones rescues the guidance defects of mau-2 mutants, indicating that mau-2 functions cell-autonomously. Altering the activity of both the dorsal repellent slt-1 and mau-2 leads to the abnormal dorsal projection of the AVM axon, a phenotype that is novel and specific to the interaction of these two genes, indicating that mau-2 participates in the guidance of AVM by a slt-1-independent mechanism. Taken together, mau-2 defines a novel guidance factor that might be involved in the intracellular processing of guidance cues encountered by migrating cells and axons during development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada.
authors.forename: Claire Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Bénard
authors.forename: Hania
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kébir
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hekimi
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C496519:Mau-2 protein, C elegans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C492285:slt-1 protein, C elegans; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins