title: A Network of Chromatin Factors Is Regulating the Transition to Postembryonic Development inCaenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Mi2 proteins are evolutionarily conserved, ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers of the CHD family that play key roles in stem cell differentiation and reprogramming. InCaenorhabditis elegans, thelet-418gene encodes one of the two Mi2 homologs, which is part of at least two chromatin complexes, namely the Nucleosome Remodeling and histone Deacetylase (NuRD) complex and the MEC complex, and functions in larval development, vulval morphogenesis, lifespan regulation, and cell fate determination. To explore the mechanisms involved in the action of LET-418/Mi2, we performed a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen for suppressors of early larval arrest associated withlet-418mutations. We identified 29 suppressor genes, of which 24 encode chromatin regulators, mostly orthologs of proteins present in transcriptional activator complexes. The remaining five genes vary broadly in their predicted functions. All suppressor genes could suppress multiple aspects of thelet-418phenotype, including developmental arrest and ectopic expression of germline genes in the soma. Analysis of available transcriptomic data and quantitative PCR revealed that LET-418 and the suppressors of early larval arrest are regulating common target genes. These suppressors might represent direct competitors of LET-418 complexes for chromatin regulation of crucial genes involved in the transition to postembryonic development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Erdelyi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suleski
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland chantal.wicky@unifr.ch.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wicky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D016678:Genome; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D056245:Mi-2 Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase Complex / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C521495:LET-418 protein, C elegans; D056245:Mi-2 Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase Complex
keywords: P granules; chromatin; development; genome-wide RNAi screen; germline