Notch-GATA synergy promotes endoderm-specific expression of ref-1 in C. elegans.
The Notch signaling pathway is involved in a wide variety of cell-fate decisions during development. The diverse behavior of Notch-activated cells is thought to depend on tissue- or cell-type-specific transcription factors, yet the identities of such factors and the mechanism of cooperation with the Notch pathway are largely unknown. We identify here an enhancer in the promoter of ref-1, a C. elegans Notch target, which promotes Notch-dependent expression in mesodermal and endodermal cells. The enhancer contains predicted binding sites for the Notch transcriptional effector LAG-1/CSL that are essential for expression, a non-CSL site required for mesodermal expression, and four predicted binding sites for GATA transcription factors that are required for endodermal expression. We show that endodermal expression involves the GATA transcription factor ELT-2, and that ELT-2 can bind LAG-1/CSL in vitro. In many types of Notch-activated embryonic cells, ectopic ELT-2 is sufficient to drive expression of reporters containing the enhancer.
Neves
Alexandre
A
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
English
Kathryn
K
Priess
James R
JR
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000235:genetics; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D004707:Endoderm / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015342:DNA Probes; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C094134:ELT-2 protein, C elegans; C428453:ref-1 protein, C elegans