Cloning and expression analysis of pos-1 in the nematodes Caenorhabditis briggsae and Caenorhabditis remanei.
The Caenorhabditis elegans pos-1 gene encodes a zinc-finger protein that is required for germline specification during embryogenesis. The maternally provided mRNA is translationally regulated both spatially and temporally during early development. We have cloned orthologs of pos-1 from C. briggsae and C. remanei, two Caenorhabditis species that have diverged from C. elegans by approximately 20-40 million years. Two regions in the 3' untranslated region are highly conserved among all three species. We find that the pos-1 RNA is expressed in the hermaphrodite and female gonads of C. briggsae and C. remanei but POS-1 protein is not detected at high levels in C. briggsae until the 2-cell stage of embryogenesis. The protein expression is restricted to the germline precursors of the embryo. We conclude that pos-1 appears to be translationally regulated in C. briggsae as it is in C. elegans and speculate the conserved 3' UTR sequences may be involved.
Konwerski
Jamie
J
Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859, USA.
Senchuk
Megan
M
Petty
Emily
E
Lahaie
David
D
Schisa
Jennifer A
JA
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development / Q000235:genetics; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013997:Time Factors
D015801:Helminth Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger