Two Hox cofactors, the Meis/Hth homolog UNC-62 and the Pbx/Exd homolog CEH-20, function together during C. elegans postembryonic mesodermal development.
The TALE homeodomain-containing PBC and MEIS proteins play multiple roles during metazoan development. Mutations in these proteins can cause various disorders, including cancer. In this study, we examined the roles of MEIS proteins in mesoderm development in C. elegans using the postembryonic mesodermal M lineage as a model system. We found that the MEIS protein UNC-62 plays essential roles in regulating cell fate specification and differentiation in the M lineage. Furthermore, UNC-62 appears to function together with the PBC protein CEH-20 in regulating these processes. Both unc-62 and ceh-20 have overlapping expression patterns within and outside of the M lineage, and they share physical and regulatory interactions. In particular, we found that ceh-20 is genetically required for the promoter activity of unc-62, providing evidence for another layer of regulatory interactions between MEIS and PBC proteins.
Jiang
Yuan
Y
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 439 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Shi
Herong
H
Liu
Jun
J
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002465:Cell Movement; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000494:pharmacology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C081538:Mab-5 protein, C elegans; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D014157:Transcription Factors; C109537:Unc-62 protein, C elegans; C418523:ceh-20 protein, C elegans