Title

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

Authors

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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