The T-box gene tbx-2, the homeobox gene egl-5 and the asymmetric cell division gene ham-1 specify neural fate in the HSN/PHB lineage

Aakanksha Singhvi; C Andrew Frank; Gian Garriga

doi:10.1534/genetics.108.088948

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The T-box gene tbx-2, the homeobox gene egl-5 and the asymmetric cell division gene ham-1 specify neural fate in the HSN/PHB lineage

Journal article

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The T-box gene tbx-2, the homeobox gene egl-5 and the asymmetric cell division gene ham-1 specify neural fate in the HSN/PHB lineage

Aakanksha Singhvi, C Andrew Frank and Gian Garriga

Genetics (Austin), Vol.179(2), pp.887-898

06/2008

DOI: 10.1534/genetics.108.088948

PMCID: PMC2429882

PMID: 18505863

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Abstract

Understanding how neurons adopt particular fates is a fundamental challenge in developmental neurobiology. To address this issue, we have been studying a Caenorhabditis elegans lineage that produces the HSN motor neuron and the PHB sensory neuron, sister cells produced by the HSN/PHB precursor. We have previously shown that the novel protein HAM-1 controls the asymmetric neuroblast division in this lineage. In this study we examine tbx-2 and egl-5, genes that act in concert with ham-1 to regulate HSN and PHB fate. In screens for mutants with abnormal HSN development, we identified the T-box protein TBX-2 as being important for both HSN and PHB differentiation. TBX-2, along with HAM-1, regulates the migrations of the HSNs and prevents the PHB neurons from adopting an apoptotic fate. The homeobox gene egl-5 has been shown to regulate the migration and later differentiation of the HSN. While mutations that disrupt its function show no obvious role for EGL-5 in PHB development, loss of egl-5 in a ham-1 mutant background leads to PHB differentiation defects. Expression of EGL-5 in the HSN/PHB precursor but not in the PHB neuron suggests that EGL-5 specifies precursor fate. These observations reveal a role for both EGL-5 and TBX-2 in neural fate specification in the HSN/PHB lineage.

Genes, Helminth

Apoptosis - genetics

Male

Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics

Genetic Complementation Test

Cell Differentiation - genetics

Motor Neurons - cytology

Female

Genes, Homeobox

Cell Division - genetics

Amino Acid Sequence

Neurons, Afferent - cytology

Animals, Genetically Modified

Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics

Recombinant Proteins - genetics

Transcription Factors - genetics

Caenorhabditis elegans - embryology

Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics

T-Box Domain Proteins - genetics

Homeodomain Proteins - genetics

Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Animals

Caenorhabditis elegans - cytology

Epistasis, Genetic

Models, Genetic

Models, Neurological

Mutation

Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics

Details

Title: Subtitle: The T-box gene tbx-2, the homeobox gene egl-5 and the asymmetric cell division gene ham-1 specify neural fate in the HSN/PHB lineage
Creators: Aakanksha Singhvi - Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
C Andrew Frank
Gian Garriga
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Genetics (Austin), Vol.179(2), pp.887-898
DOI: 10.1534/genetics.108.088948
PMID: 18505863
PMCID: PMC2429882
NLM abbreviation: Genetics
ISSN: 0016-6731
eISSN: 1943-2631
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 NS042213 / NINDS NIH HHS NS-42213 / NINDS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 06/2008
Academic Unit: Anatomy and Cell Biology; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984025336602771

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