|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
| Home Help Feedback Subscriptions Archive Search Table of Contents | ||||
Development, Vol 120, Issue 9 2579-2592, Copyright © 1994 by Company of Biologists
JOURNAL ARTICLES |
KL Chow and SW Emmons
Department of Molecular Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461.
The copulatory structure of the C. elegans male tail includes a set of nine bilaterally symmetrical pairs of sense organs known as rays. Each ray comprises three cells, which are generated by a stereotyped cell sublineage expressed by 18 epidermal ray precursor cells. A pattern formation mechanism in the epidermis guides the specification of morphogenetic differences between the rays necessary for correct organelle assembly at specific positions within the epidermis. Expression of these ray differences was altered in mutations we described previously, resulting in displaced and fused rays. Here we show that two genes of the C. elegans HOM-C/Hox gene complex play a role in the pattern formation mechanism. Increasing or decreasing the gene dosage of mab-5, an Antennapedia homolog, and egl-5, an Abdominal B homolog, results in displacement and fusion of specific rays. These changes are interpreted as anterior or posterior transformations in ray identities. Mutations in the genes previously described are dominant modifiers of these effects. This suggests that these genes act in the same morphogenetic pathway as mab-5 and egl-5. Several lines of evidence, including cell ablation experiments, argue that the identity of each ray is specified cell-autonomously in the terminal cells of the ray lineages. mab-5 and egl-5, therefore, specify the morphogenetic properties of differentiating cells, without change in cell lineage or apparent cell type. Modifier genes may act upstream of mab-5 and egl-5 to regulate their expression. Alternatively, they may act at the same step in the pathway, as cofactors, or they may be target genes. Target genes could include genes specifying cell recognition and adhesion molecules governing ray organelle assembly.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  L. Jia and S. W. Emmons Genes That Control Ray Sensory Neuron Axon Development in the Caenorhabditis elegans Male Genetics, July 1, 2006; 173(3): 1241 - 1258. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. P. Gupta, M. Wang, and P. W. Sternberg The C. elegans LIM homeobox gene lin-11 specifies multiple cell fates during vulval development Development, June 15, 2003; 130(12): 2589 - 2601. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Yamada, Y. Mizutani-Koseki, T. Hasegawa, N. Osumi, H. Koseki, and N. Takahashi Cell-autonomous involvement of Mab21l1 is essential for lens placode development Development, May 1, 2003; 130(9): 1759 - 1770. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. D. Chin-Sang, S. L. Moseley, M. Ding, R. J. Harrington, S. E. George, and A. D. Chisholm The divergent C. elegans ephrin EFN-4 functions inembryonic morphogenesis in a pathway independent of the VAB-1 Eph receptor Development, January 12, 2002; 129(23): 5499 - 5510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Fujii, F. Nakao, Y. Shibata, G. Shioi, E. Kodama, H. Fujisawa, and S. Takagi Caenorhabditis elegans PlexinA, PLX-1, interacts with transmembrane semaphorins and regulates epidermal morphogenesis Development, January 5, 2002; 129(9): 2053 - 2063. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H Zhang and S. Emmons The novel C. elegans gene sop-3 modulates Wnt signaling to regulate Hox gene expression Development, January 3, 2001; 128(5): 767 - 777. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. Zhang and S. W. Emmons A C. elegans mediator protein confers regulatory selectivity on lineage-specific expression of a transcription factor gene Genes & Dev., September 1, 2000; 14(17): 2161 - 2172. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Portman and S. Emmons The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors LIN-32 and HLH-2 function together in multiple steps of a C. elegans neuronal sublineage Development, January 12, 2000; 127(24): 5415 - 5426. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. Chamberlin and J. Thomas The bromodomain protein LIN-49 and trithorax-related protein LIN-59 affect development and gene expression in Caenorhabditis elegans Development, January 2, 2000; 127(4): 713 - 723. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Roy, H Zheng, C. Warren, and J. Culotti mab-20 encodes Semaphorin-2a and is required to prevent ectopic cell contacts during epidermal morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans Development, January 2, 2000; 127(4): 755 - 767. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R Lints and S. Emmons Patterning of dopaminergic neurotransmitter identity among Caenorhabditis elegans ray sensory neurons by a TGFbeta family signaling pathway and a Hox gene Development, January 12, 1999; 126(24): 5819 - 5831. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K Brunschwig, C Wittmann, R Schnabel, T. Burglin, H Tobler, and F Muller Anterior organization of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo by the labial-like Hox gene ceh-13 Development, January 4, 1999; 126(7): 1537 - 1546. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K Morita, K. Chow, and N Ueno Regulation of body length and male tail ray pattern formation of Caenorhabditis elegans by a member of TGF-beta family Development, January 3, 1999; 126(6): 1337 - 1347. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Y Suzuki, M. Yandell, P. Roy, S Krishna, C Savage-Dunn, R. Ross, R. Padgett, and W. Wood A BMP homolog acts as a dose-dependent regulator of body size and male tail patterning in Caenorhabditis elegans Development, January 1, 1999; 126(2): 241 - 250. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S Krishna, L. Maduzia, and R. Padgett Specificity of TGFbeta signaling is conferred by distinct type I receptors and their associated SMAD proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans Development, January 1, 1999; 126(2): 251 - 260. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Wrischnik and C. Kenyon The role of lin-22, a hairy/enhancer of split homolog, in patterning the peripheral nervous system of C. elegans Development, January 8, 1997; 124(15): 2875 - 2888. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R Baumeister, Y Liu, and G Ruvkun Lineage-specific regulators couple cell lineage asymmetry to the transcription of the Caenorhabditis elegans POU gene unc-86 during neurogenesis. Genes & Dev., June 1, 1996; 10(11): 1395 - 1410. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Salser and C Kenyon A C. elegans Hox gene switches on, off, on and off again to regulate proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis Development, January 5, 1996; 122(5): 1651 - 1661. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Chow, D. Hall, and S. Emmons The mab-21 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a novel protein required for choice of alternate cell fates Development, January 11, 1995; 121(11): 3615 - 3626. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
