Makorin ortholog LEP-2 regulates LIN-28 stability to promote the juvenile-to-adult transition in Caenorhabditis elegans
The heterochronic genes lin-28, let-7 and lin-41 regulate fundamental developmental transitions in animals, such as stemness versus differentiation and juvenile versus adult states. We identify a new heterochronic gene, lep-2, in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations in lep-2 cause a delay in the juveni...
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Published in | Development (Cambridge) Vol. 143; no. 5; pp. 799 - 809 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
The Company of Biologists Ltd
01.03.2016
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The heterochronic genes lin-28, let-7 and lin-41 regulate fundamental developmental transitions in animals, such as stemness versus differentiation and juvenile versus adult states. We identify a new heterochronic gene, lep-2, in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations in lep-2 cause a delay in the juvenile-to-adult transition, with adult males retaining pointed, juvenile tail tips, and displaying defective sexual behaviors. In both sexes, lep-2 mutants fail to cease molting or produce an adult cuticle. We find that LEP-2 post-translationally regulates LIN-28 by promoting LIN-28 protein degradation. lep-2 encodes the sole C. elegans ortholog of the Makorin (Mkrn) family of proteins. Like lin-28 and other heterochronic pathway members, vertebrate Mkrns are involved in developmental switches, including the timing of pubertal onset in humans. Based on shared roles, conservation and the interaction between lep-2 and lin-28 shown here, we propose that Mkrns, together with other heterochronic genes, constitute an evolutionarily ancient conserved module regulating switches in development. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0950-1991 1477-9129 |
DOI: | 10.1242/dev.132738 |