First published online April 22, 2004
Development 131, 903e (2004)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
T-box genes for Notch specificity
An enduring question of Caenorhabditis elegans development is how
multiple Notch interactions specify distinct cell fates at different times and
places. Good et al. (p.
1967) have identified two T-box transcription factors – TBX-37
and TBX-38 – that affect the outcomes of two sequential Notch signalling
events during early development. ABa and ABp are initially equivalent sister
cells at the four-cell stage. The researchers showed that the ability of ABa
to give rise to mesodermal precursors relies on its expression of
tbx-37 and tbx-38. In response to the first Notch signal,
tbx-37 and tbx-38 expression is blocked in ABp and its
descendents, preventing ABp from producing mesodermal precursors. A second
Notch signal at the 12-cell stage acts in concert with TBX-37 and TBX-38 to
promote mesodermal fates in ABa descendents. The authors conclude that T-box
proteins modulate crucial Notch interactions during mesoderm development.
Related articles in Development:
- The T-box transcription factors TBX-37 and TBX-38 link GLP-1/Notch signaling to mesoderm induction in C. elegans embryos
- Kathryn Good, Rafal Ciosk, Jeremy Nance, Alexandre Neves, Russell J. Hill, and James R. Priess
Development 2004 131: 1967-1978.
[Abstract]
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