The lin-41 RBCC Gene Acts in the C. elegans Heterochronic Pathway between the let-7 Regulatory RNA and the LIN-29 Transcription Factor

• Published in: Molecular cell 2000-04, Vol.5 (4), p.659-669
• Main Authors: Slack, Frank J, Basson, Michael, Liu, Zhongchi, Ambros, Victor, Horvitz, H.Robert, Ruvkun, Gary
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3' Untranslated Regions; Alleles; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Body Patterning - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - embryology; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Down-Regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Genes, Helminth; Helminth Proteins - metabolism; let-7 gene; LIN-29 protein; lin-41 gene; LIN-41 protein; Molecular Sequence Data; Multigene Family; Mutation; RNA, Helminth - metabolism; Time Factors; Tissue Distribution; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Zinc Fingers
• ISSN: 1097-2765; 1097-4164
• DOI: 10.1016/S1097-2765(00)80245-2

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-41 3′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.