A conserved Six-Eya cassette acts downstream of Wnt signaling to direct non-myogenic versus myogenic fates in the C. elegans postembryonic mesoderm.
The subdivision of mesodermal cells into muscle and non-muscle cells is crucial to animal development. In the C. elegans postembryonic mesoderm, this subdivision is a result of an asymmetric cell division that leads to the formation of striated body wall muscles and non-muscle coelomocytes. Here we report that the Six homeodomain protein CEH-34 and its cofactor Eyes Absent, EYA-1, function synergistically to promote the non-muscle fate in cells also competent to form muscles. We further show that the asymmetric expression of ceh-34 and eya-1 is regulated by a combination of 1) mesodermal intrinsic factors MAB-5, HLH-1 and FOZI-1, 2) differential POP-1 (TCF/LEF) transcriptional activity along the anterior-posterior axis, and 3) coelomocyte competence factor(s). These factors are conserved in both vertebrates and invertebrates, suggesting a conserved paradigm for mesoderm development in metazoans.
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Nirav M
NM
Amin
Sung-Eun
SE
Lim
Herong
H
Shi
Tiffany L
TL
Chan
Jun
J
Liu
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000378:metabolism; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D024510:Muscle Development; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; C543914:CEH-34 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C111093:Ceh-24 protein, C elegans; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases; C506511:eya-1 protein, C elegans