title: Expression profiling of MAP kinase-mediated meiotic progression in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: The LET-60 (Ras)/LIN-45 (Raf)/MPK-1 (MAP kinase) signaling pathway plays a key role in the development of multiple tissues in Caenorhabditis elegans. For the most part, the identities of the downstream genes that act as the ultimate effectors of MPK-1 signaling have remained elusive. A unique allele of mpk-1, ga111, displays a reversible, temperature-sensitive, tissue-specific defect in progression through meiotic prophase I. We performed gene expression profiling on mpk-1(ga111) animals to identify candidate downstream effectors of MPK-1 signaling in the germ line. This analysis delineated a cohort of genes whose expression requires MPK-1 signaling in germ cells in the pachytene stage of meiosis I. RNA in situ hybridization analysis shows that these genes are expressed in the germ line in an MPK-1-dependent manner and have a spatial expression pattern consistent with the location of activated MPK-1. We found that one MPK-1 signaling-responsive gene encoding a C2H2 zinc finger protein plays a role in meiotic chromosome segregation downstream of MPK-1. Additionally, discovery of genes responsive to MPK-1 signaling permitted us to order MPK-1 signaling relative to several events occurring in pachytene, including EFL-1/DPL-1 gene regulation and X chromosome reactivation. This study highlights the utility of applying global gene expression methods to investigate genes downstream of commonly used signaling pathways in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors.forename: Stefanie W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Leacock
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reinke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000235:genetics; D015536:Down-Regulation; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D050172:Genes, X-Linked; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013696:Temperature; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; C094448:GLD-1 protein, C elegans; D014157:Transcription Factors; C433249:dpl-1 protein, C elegans; C493765:efl-1 protein, C elegans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; C085697:mpk-1 protein, C elegans