title: The C. elegans COE transcription factor UNC-3 activates lineage-specific apoptosis and affects neurite growth in the RID lineage.
abstract: Mechanisms that regulate apoptosis in a temporal and lineage-specific manner remain poorly understood. The COE (Collier/Olf/EBF) transcription factors have been implicated in the development of many cell types, including neurons. Here, we show that the sole Caenorhabditis elegans COE protein, UNC-3, together with a histone acetyltransferase, CBP-1/P300, specifies lineage-specific apoptosis and certain aspects of neurite trajectory. During embryogenesis, the RID progenitor cell gives rise to the RID neuron and RID sister cell; the latter undergoes apoptosis shortly after cell division upon expression of the pro-apoptotic gene egl-1. We observe UNC-3 expression in the RID progenitor, and the absence of UNC-3 results in the failure of the RID lineage to express a Pegl-1::GFP reporter and in the survival of the RID sister cell. Lastly, UNC-3 interacts with CBP-1, and cbp-1 mutants exhibit a similar RID phenotype to unc-3. Thus, in addition to playing a role in neuronal terminal differentiation, UNC-3 is a cell lineage-specific regulator of apoptosis.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors: Jinbo
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Lunenfeld and Tanebaum Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X5.
authors: Jyothsna
authors: J
authors: Chitturi
authors: State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors: Qinglan
authors: Q
authors: Ge
authors: Lunenfeld and Tanebaum Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X5.
authors: Valeriya
authors: V
authors: Laskova
authors: State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors: Xia
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors: Mei
authors: M
authors: Ding
authors: Lunenfeld and Tanebaum Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X5 xhuang@genetics.ac.cn zhen@lunenfeld.ca.
authors: Mei
authors: M
authors: Zhen
authors: State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China xhuang@genetics.ac.cn zhen@lunenfeld.ca.
authors: Xun
authors: X
authors: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C112486:EGL-1 protein, C elegans; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C112508:unc-3 protein, C elegans; C111709:CBP-1 protein, C elegans; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases
keywords: Apoptosis; C. elegans; EGL-1; RID neuron; UNC-3