TRA-1A regulates transcription of fog-3, which controls germ cell fate in C. elegans

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (14) ◽  
pp. 3119-3129 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Chen ◽  
R.E. Ellis

In C. elegans, the zinc-finger protein TRA-1A is thought to be the final arbiter of somatic sexual identity. We show that fog-3, which is required for germ cells to become sperm rather than oocytes, is a target of TRA-1A. First, northern analyses and RT-PCR experiments indicate that expression of fog-3 is controlled by tra-1. Second, studies of double mutants show that this control could be direct. Third, the fog-3 promoter contains multiple sites that bind TRA-1A in gel shift assays, and mutations in these sites alter activity of fog-3 in vivo. These results establish fog-3 as one of the first known targets of transcriptional regulation by TRA-1A. Furthermore, they show that tra-1 controls a terminal regulator of sexual fate in germ cells, just as it is thought to do in the soma.

Author(s):  
Catherine E McManus ◽  
Mariateresa Mazzetto ◽  
Guifeng Wei ◽  
Mei Han ◽  
Valerie Reinke

Abstract To ensure stable transmission of genetic information to the next generation, germ cells frequently silence sex chromosomes, as well as autosomal loci that promote inappropriate differentiation programs. In C. elegans, silenced and active genomic domains are established in germ cells by the histone modification complexes MES-2/3/6 and MES-4, which promote silent and active chromatin states, respectively. These states are generally mutually exclusive and modulation of one state influences the pattern of the other. Here we identify the zinc-finger protein OEF-1 as a novel modifier of this epigenetic balance in the C. elegans germ line. Loss of oef-1 genetically enhances mes mutant phenotypes. Moreover, OEF-1 binding correlates with the active modification H3K36me3 and sustains H3K36me3 levels in the absence of MES-4 activity. OEF-1 also promotes efficient mRNA splicing activity, a process that is influenced by H3K36me3 levels. Finally, OEF-1 limits deposition of the silencing modification H3K27me3 on the X chromosome and at repressed autosomal loci. We propose that OEF-1 might act as an intermediary to mediate the downstream effects of H3K36me3 that promote transcript integrity, and indirectly affect gene silencing as a consequence.


Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 943-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Cui ◽  
C.Q. Doe

Cell diversity in the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS) is primarily generated by the invariant lineage of neural precursors called neuroblasts. We used an enhancer trap screen to identify the ming gene, which is transiently expressed in a subset of neuroblasts at reproducible points in their cell lineage (i.e. in neuroblast ‘sublineages’), suggesting that neuroblast identity can be altered during its cell lineage. ming encodes a predicted zinc finger protein and loss of ming function results in precise alterations in CNS gene expression, defects in axonogenesis and embryonic lethality. We propose that ming controls cell fate within neuroblast cell lineages.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1859 (11) ◽  
pp. 1398-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhei Ishikura ◽  
Toshiyuki Tsunoda ◽  
Kazuhiko Nakabayashi ◽  
Keiko Doi ◽  
Midori Koyanagi ◽  
...  

Development ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 138 (21) ◽  
pp. 4649-4660 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Pellegrino ◽  
S. Farooqui ◽  
E. Frohli ◽  
H. Rehrauer ◽  
S. Kaeser-Pebernard ◽  
...  

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (36) ◽  
pp. 22447-22455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Yuan Li ◽  
Milton A. English ◽  
Helen J. Ball ◽  
Patricia L. Yeyati ◽  
Samuel Waxman ◽  
...  

1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Hosseini ◽  
P Marsh ◽  
J Pizzey ◽  
L Leonard ◽  
S Ruddy ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Zfp-37 is a zinc finger protein gene expressed in male germ cells. The cDNA detected two transcripts on Northern blots of testis RNA, with expression first detected at around day 19. To establish the pattern of expression of the protein we have raised antibodies to ZFP-37 and used them on thin sections of testis and on Western blots. On Western blots the antibody detected two proteins exclusively in testis extracts, confirming the previous mRNA expression data. A time-course study revealed that the larger of the two proteins appears at about day 22 but the smaller one is not detected until day 34. Analysis of the expression of these two proteins in purified germ cell preparations revealed that the smaller protein is only detectable in the elongating spermatids or residual bodies. Data from thin sections showed that most, but not all, of the protein recognized by the antibody is in the nucleus, a result further confirmed by Western blotting. These results are discussed in the light of the possible role of this protein in regulating spermatogenesis.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yogesh Saini ◽  
Jian Chen ◽  
Sonika Patial

Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression plays a key role in cellular proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. Increasing evidence suggests dysregulated post-transcriptional gene expression as an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of cancer. The tristetraprolin family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which include Zinc Finger Protein 36 (ZFP36; commonly referred to as tristetraprolin (TTP)), Zinc Finger Protein 36 like 1 (ZFP36L1), and Zinc Finger Protein 36 like 2 (ZFP36L2), play key roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Mechanistically, these proteins function by binding to the AU-rich elements within the 3′-untranslated regions of their target mRNAs and, in turn, increasing mRNA turnover. The TTP family RBPs are emerging as key regulators of multiple biological processes relevant to cancer and are aberrantly expressed in numerous human cancers. The TTP family RBPs have tumor-suppressive properties and are also associated with cancer prognosis, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. Herein, we summarize the various hallmark molecular traits of cancers that are reported to be regulated by the TTP family RBPs. We emphasize the role of the TTP family RBPs in the regulation of trait-associated mRNA targets in relevant cancer types/cell lines. Finally, we highlight the potential of the TTP family RBPs as prognostic indicators and discuss the possibility of targeting these TTP family RBPs for therapeutic benefits.


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