egl-27 generates anteroposterior patterns of cell fusion in C. elegans by regulating Hox gene expression and Hox protein function.
egl-27 generates anteroposterior patterns of cell fusion in C. elegans by regulating Hox gene expression and Hox protein function.
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发表时间：
1999-08
期刊：
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
QueeLim Ch'ng;C. Kenyon
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
QueeLim Ch'ng;C. Kenyon
Hox基因决定了沿着C.优美的在这些细胞中，Hox基因在连续重叠的结构域中表达，在这些结构域中它们控制每个Pn.p细胞与周围合胞体表皮融合的能力。Hox蛋白的活性在该组织中具有性别特异性，导致细胞融合的性别特异性模式：在雌雄同体中，中间体细胞保持未融合，而在男性中，合胞体和未融合细胞的交替区域发育。我们发现egl-27基因编码一个C.线虫同源的染色质调节因子，指定这些模式，通过调节Hox基因的表达和Hox蛋白的功能。在egl-27突变体中，这些细胞中Hox基因的表达结构域向后移动，表明egl-27影响A/P位置信息。此外，egl-27以两种方式控制Pn.p细胞中的Hox蛋白功能：在雌雄同体中，它抑制MAB-5活性，而在雄性中，它允许LIN-39和MAB-5之间的组合相互作用。因此，通过选择性地修饰Hox蛋白的活性，egl-27将简单的Hox表达模式阐述为细胞命运的复杂模式。总之，这些结果暗示egl-27在细胞命运的多样化沿着A/P轴，并建议，染色质重组是必要的控制Hox基因表达和Hox蛋白功能。
Hox genes pattern the fates of the ventral ectodermal Pn.p cells that lie along the anteroposterior (A/P) body axis of C. elegans. In these cells, the Hox genes are expressed in sequential overlapping domains where they control the ability of each Pn.p cell to fuse with the surrounding syncytial epidermis. The activities of Hox proteins are sex-specific in this tissue, resulting in sex-specific patterns of cell fusion: in hermaphrodites, the mid-body cells remain unfused, whereas in males, alternating domains of syncytial and unfused cells develop. We have found that the gene egl-27, which encodes a C. elegans homologue of a chromatin regulatory factor, specifies these patterns by regulating both Hox gene expression and Hox protein function. In egl-27 mutants, the expression domains of Hox genes in these cells are shifted posteriorly, suggesting that egl-27 influences A/P positional information. In addition, egl-27 controls Hox protein function in the Pn.p cells in two ways: in hermaphrodites it inhibits MAB-5 activity, whereas in males it permits a combinatorial interaction between LIN-39 and MAB-5. Thus, by selectively modifying the activities of Hox proteins, egl-27 elaborates a simple Hox expression pattern into complex patterns of cell fates. Taken together, these results implicate egl-27 in the diversification of cell fates along the A/P axis and suggest that chromatin reorganization is necessary for controlling Hox gene expression and Hox protein function.