title: The C. elegans SoxC protein SEM-2 opposes differentiation factors to promote a proliferative blast cell fate in the postembryonic mesoderm.
abstract: The proper development of multicellular organisms requires precise regulation and coordination of cell fate specification, cell proliferation and differentiation. Abnormal regulation and coordination of these processes could lead to disease, including cancer. We have examined the function of the sole C. elegans SoxC protein, SEM-2, in the M lineage, which produces the postembryonic mesoderm. We found that SEM-2/SoxC is both necessary and sufficient to promote a proliferating blast cell fate, the sex myoblast fate, over a differentiated striated bodywall muscle fate. A number of factors control the specific expression of sem-2 in the sex myoblast precursors and their descendants. This includes direct control of sem-2 expression by a Hox-PBC complex. The crucial nature of the HOX/PBC factors in directly enhancing expression of this proliferative factor in the C. elegans M lineage suggests a possible more general link between Hox-PBC factors and SoxC proteins in regulating cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Chenxi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Herong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Clark
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colledge
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Waterston
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D050436:Regulatory Elements, Transcriptional / Q000502:physiology; D055751:SOXC Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C081538:Mab-5 protein, C elegans; D055751:SOXC Transcription Factors; C557895:Sem-2 protein, C elegans; D014157:Transcription Factors; C418523:ceh-20 protein, C elegans; C108673:lin-39 protein, C elegans