The C. elegans SoxC protein SEM-2 opposes differentiation factors to promote a proliferative blast cell fate in the postembryonic mesoderm

    Authors

    C. X. Tian; H. R. Shi; C. Colledge; M. Stern; R. Waterston;J. Liu

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Development

    Keywords

    Mesoderm; M lineage; Sex myoblast; Bodywall muscle; SoxC; SEM-2; Hox; PBC; Proliferation; Differentiation; HUMAN PROSTATE-CANCER; CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS; GENE-EXPRESSION; HOX; PROTEIN; BETA-CATENIN; HOMOLOG; PATHWAY; MUSCLE; CEH-20; ROLES; Developmental Biology

    Abstract

    The proper development of multicellular organisms requires precise regulation and coordination of cell fate specification, cell proliferation and differentiation. Abnormal regulation and coordination of these processes could lead to disease, including cancer. We have examined the function of the sole C. elegans SoxC protein, SEM-2, in the M lineage, which produces the postembryonic mesoderm. We found that SEM-2/SoxC is both necessary and sufficient to promote a proliferating blast cell fate, the sex myoblast fate, over a differentiated striated bodywall muscle fate. A number of factors control the specific expression of sem-2 in the sex myoblast precursors and their descendants. This includes direct control of sem-2 expression by a Hox-PBC complex. The crucial nature of the HOX/PBC factors in directly enhancing expression of this proliferative factor in the C. elegans M lineage suggests a possible more general link between Hox-PBC factors and SoxC proteins in regulating cell proliferation.

    Journal Title

    Development

    Volume

    138

    Issue/Number

    6

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    1033

    Last Page

    1043

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000287575300002

    ISSN

    0950-1991

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