Abstract
Null mutations in the C. elegans heterochronic gene lin-41 cause precocious expression of adult fates at larval stages. Increased lin-41 activity causes the opposite phenotype, reiteration of larval fates. let-7 mutations cause similar reiterated heterochronic phenotypes that are suppressed by lin-41 mutations, showing that lin-41 is negatively regulated by let-7. lin-41 negatively regulates the timing of LIN-29 adult specification transcription factor expression. lin-41 encodes an RBCC protein, and two elements in the lin-413'UTR are complementary to the 21 nucleotide let-7 regulatory RNA. A lin-41::GFP fusion gene is downregulated in the tissues affected by lin-41 at the time that the let-7 regulatory RNA is upregulated. We suggest that late larval activation of let-7 RNA expression downregulates LIN-41 to relieve inhibition of lin-29.
Publication types
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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3' Untranslated Regions
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Alleles
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Base Sequence
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Body Patterning / genetics*
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Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology*
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Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Down-Regulation
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
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Genes, Helminth*
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Helminth Proteins / metabolism
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Multigene Family
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Mutation
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RNA, Helminth / metabolism*
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Time Factors
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Tissue Distribution
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Transcription Factors / genetics
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Transcription Factors / metabolism*
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Zinc Fingers
Substances
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3' Untranslated Regions
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Helminth Proteins
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LIN-29 protein, C elegans
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LIN-41 protein, C elegans
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RNA, Helminth
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Transcription Factors
Associated data
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GENBANK/AF195610
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GENBANK/AF195611