RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A cell-specific enhancer that specifies <em>lin-3</em> expression in the
<em>C. elegans</em> anchor cell for vulval development
JF Development
JO Development
FD The Company of Biologists Limited
SP 143
OP 151
DO 10.1242/dev.00924
VO 131
IS 1
A1 Hwang, Byung Joon
A1 Sternberg, Paul W.
YR 2004
UL http://dev.biologists.org/content/131/1/143.abstract
AB During C. elegans vulval development, the anchor cell (AC) in the somatic gonad expresses lin-3, activating the EGF receptor signaling pathway in vulval precursor cells (VPCs) and thereby inducing and patterning VPCs. Previous studies with lin-3 mutants and transgene expression have revealed that the level of LIN-3 in the AC must be precisely regulated for proper vulval development. To understand how lin-3 expression is achieved in the AC, we identified a 59 bp lin-3 enhancer sufficient to activate lin-3 transcription solely in the AC. The enhancer contains two E-box elements, and one FTZ-F1 nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) binding site that is mutated in a vulvaless mutant, lin-3(e1417). Mutagenesis studies show that both E-boxes and the NHR binding site are necessary to express lin-3 in the AC. In vitro DNA-binding studies and in vivo functional assays indicate that distinct trans-acting factors, including the E-protein/Daughterless homolog HLH-2 and unidentified nuclear hormone receptor(s), are necessary for lin-3 transcription in the AC and thus are involved in vulval development.