The bZip proteins CES-2 and ATF-2 alter the timing of transcription for a cell-specific target gene in C. elegans

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• 作者：Xiaodong Wang ; Hongtao Jia and Helen M. Chamberlin
• 关键词：Basic leucine zipper (bZip) ; Developmental gene regulation ; Developmental timing ; Excretory system
• 刊名：Developmental Biology
• 出版年：2006
• 出版时间：15 January 2006
• 年：2006
• 卷：289
• 期：2
• 页码：456-465
• 全文大小：513 K

文摘

The Caenorhabditis elegans basic leucine zipper (bZip) protein CES-2 regulates the transcription of different genes in different cells. Here, we show that CES-2 mediates its effects in one cell (the excretory duct cell) together with another bZip protein, ATF-2. Both proteins influence transactivation of a target gene, lin-48. Although lin-48 is required for both anatomical and physiological features of the excretory duct cell, ces-2 and atf-2 mutants only exhibit anatomical defects. We show that CES-2 and ATF-2 modify the temporal transcription of lin-48, acting to initiate embryonic expression required for normal excretory system development and anatomy. In contrast, CES-2 and ATF-2 do not influence post-embryonic lin-48 expression. We provide evidence that CES-2 and ATF-2 can interact with each other, and that they cooperate to form a complex on lin-48 regulatory sequences. Thus, the two bZip proteins function together as one of several inputs that influence the spatial and temporal regulation of lin-48.