The Caenorhabditis elegans DDX-23, a homolog of yeast splicing factor PRP28, is required for the sperm-oocyte switch and differentiation of various cell types.
DEAD/H-box proteins are involved in various aspects of RNA metabolism. Here we report the developmental function of a DEAD-box protein, DDX-23, in Caenorhabditis elegans, which has significant homology with the yeast splicing factor PRP28. We found by RNAi and mutant analyses that DDX-23 is essential for both embryonic and post-embryonic development, and required for differentiation of the majority of somatic tissues. When the germline function of ddx-23 was inhibited, hermaphrodite animals showed a reduced number of germ cells and failed to switch from spermatogenesis to oogenesis. These phenotypes were similar to those of the mutants of the three DEAH-box proteins (MOG-1, MOG-4, and MOG-5) whose yeast orthologs are involved in the pre-mRNA splicing pathway. We speculate that DDX-23 functions with the three MOG proteins in the same pathway to regulate tissue differentiation, robust germline proliferation, and the sperm/oocyte switch through modulations of ribonucleoprotein complexes.
Konishi
Takafumi
T
Laboratory for Developmental Genomics, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan.
Uodome
Nobuko
N
Sugimoto
Asako
A
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005718:Gametogenesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C534361:DDX-23 protein, C elegans; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases