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LIN-39 and the EGFR/RAS/MAPK pathway regulate C. elegans vulval morphogenesis via the VAB-23 zinc finger protein

  • Pellegrino, Mark W. The University of Melbourne, Department of Veterinary Science, Werribee, Victoria, Australia - University of Zürich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Switzerland
  • Farooqui, Sarfarazhussain University of Zürich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Switzerland - PhD Program in Molecular Life Sciences UNI ETH Zürich, Switzerland
  • Fröhli, Erika University of Zürich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Switzerland
  • Rehrauer, Hubert The Functional Genomics Center, UNI ETH Zürich, Switzerland
  • Kaeser-Pebernard, Stéphanie Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Müller, Fritz Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Gasser, Robin B. The University of Melbourne, Department of Veterinary Science, Werribee, Victoria, Australia
  • Hajnal, Alex University of Zürich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Switzerland
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    16.08.2011
Published in:
  • Development. - 2011, vol. 138, no. 21, p. 4649-4660
Morphogenesis
hox
ras
C. elegans
Vulva
English Morphogenesis represents a phase of development during which cell fates are executed. The conserved hox genes are key cell fate determinants during metazoan development, but their role in controlling organ morphogenesis is less understood. Here, we show that the C. elegans hox gene lin-39 regulates epidermal morphogenesis via its novel target, the essential zinc finger protein VAB-23. During the development of the vulva, the egg-laying organ of the hermaphrodite, the EGFR/RAS/MAPK signaling pathway activates, together with LIN-39 HOX, the expression of VAB-23 in the primary cell lineage to control the formation of the seven vulval toroids. VAB-23 regulates the formation of homotypic contacts between contralateral pairs of cells with the same sub-fates at the vulval midline by inducing smp-1 (semaphorin) transcription. In addition, VAB-23 prevents ectopic vulval cell fusions by negatively regulating expression of the fusogen eff-1. Thus, LIN-39 and the EGFR/RAS/MAPK signaling pathway, which specify cell fates earlier during vulval induction, continue to act during the subsequent phase of cell fate execution by regulating various aspects of epidermal morphogenesis. Vulval cell fate specification and execution are, therefore, tightly coupled processes.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Biologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Biological sciences
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/302195
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Supplementary material
Supplementary material: Table S1
Supplementary material: Table S1
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