Two genetic circuits repress the Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-28 after translation initiation

306Citations
Citations of this article
252Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The heterochronic gene lin-28 of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans controls the relative timing of diverse developmental events during the animal's larval stages. lin-28 is stage-specifically regulated by two genetic circuits: negatively by the 22-nt RNA lin-4 and positively by the heterochronic gene lin-14. Here, we show that lin-28 is repressed during normal development by a mechanism that acts on its mRNA after translation initiation. We provide evidence that lin-14 inhibits a negative regulation that is independent of the lin-4 RNA and involves the gene daf-12, which encodes a nuclear hormone receptor. The lin-4-independent repression does not affect the initiation of translation on the lin-28 mRNA, and like the lin-4-mediated repression, acts through the gene's 3′-untranlsated region. In addition, we find that lin-4 is not sufficient to cause repression of lin-28 if the lin-4-independent circuit is inhibited. Therefore, the lin-4-independent circuit likely contributes substantially to the down-regulation of lin-28 that occurs during normal development. The role of lin-4 may be to initiate or potentiate the lin-4-independent circuit. We speculate that a parallel lin-4-independent regulatory mechanism regulates the expression of lin-14. © 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Seggerson, K., Tang, L., & Moss, E. G. (2002). Two genetic circuits repress the Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-28 after translation initiation. Developmental Biology, 243(2), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1006/dbio.2001.0563

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free