title: Identification and analysis of internal promoters in Caenorhabditis elegans operons.
abstract: The current Caenorhabditis elegans genomic annotation has many genes organized in operons. Using directionally stitched promoterGFP methodology, we have conducted the largest survey to date on the regulatory regions of annotated C. elegans operons and identified 65, over 25% of those studied, with internal promoters. We have termed these operons "hybrid operons." GFP expression patterns driven from internal promoters differ in tissue specificity from expression of operon promoters, and serial analysis of gene expression data reveals that there is a lack of expression correlation between genes in many hybrid operons. The average length of intergenic regions with putative promoter activity in hybrid operons is larger than previous estimates for operons as a whole. Genes with internal promoters are more commonly involved in gene duplications and have a significantly lower incidence of alternative splicing than genes without internal promoters, although we have observed almost all trans-splicing patterns in these two distinct groups. Finally, internal promoter constructs are able to rescue lethal knockout phenotypes, demonstrating their necessity in gene regulation and survival. Our work suggests that hybrid operons are common in the C. elegans genome and that internal promoters influence not only gene organization and expression but also operon evolution.
authors: Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1L3, Canada.
authors: Peiming
authors: P
authors: Huang
authors: Erin D
authors: ED
authors: Pleasance
authors: Jason S
authors: JS
authors: Maydan
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Hunt-Newbury
authors: Nigel J
authors: NJ
authors: O'Neil
authors: Allan
authors: A
authors: Mah
authors: David L
authors: DL
authors: Baillie
authors: Marco A
authors: MA
authors: Marra
authors: Donald G
authors: DG
authors: Moerman
authors: Steven J M
authors: SJ
authors: Jones
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049751:Genome, Helminth; D023281:Genomics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009876:Operon; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins
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