ELT-1, a GATA-like transcription factor, is required for epidermal cell fates in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos

Epidermal cells are generated during Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis by several distinct lineage patterns. These patterns are controlled by maternal genes that determine the identities of early embryonic blastomeres. We show that the embryonically expressed gene elt-1, which was shown previousl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genes & development 1997-07, Vol.11 (13), p.1651-1661
Main Authors: Page, B D, Zhang, W, Steward, K, Blumenthal, T, Priess, J R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans - embryology
Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
Cell Differentiation - physiology
Cell Lineage - physiology
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins - physiology
Epidermal Cells
Epidermis - embryology
GATA Transcription Factors
Gene Expression
Helminth Proteins - genetics
Helminth Proteins - physiology
Molecular Sequence Data
Muscles - cytology
Mutation
Neurons - cytology
Rabbits
Stem Cells
Trans-Activators - genetics
Trans-Activators - physiology
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Summary:Epidermal cells are generated during Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis by several distinct lineage patterns. These patterns are controlled by maternal genes that determine the identities of early embryonic blastomeres. We show that the embryonically expressed gene elt-1, which was shown previously to encode a GATA-like transcription factor, is required for the production of epidermal cells by each of these lineages. Depending on their lineage history, cells that become epidermal in wild-type embryos become either neurons or muscle cells in elt-1 mutant embryos. The ELT-1 protein is expressed in epidermal cells and in their precursors. We propose that elt-1 functions at an early step in the specification of epidermal cell fates.
ISSN:0890-9369
1549-5477
DOI:10.1101/gad.11.13.1651