Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2174177 Developmental Biology 2009 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

The subdivision of mesodermal cells into muscle and non-muscle cells is crucial to animal development. In the C. elegans postembryonic mesoderm, this subdivision is a result of an asymmetric cell division that leads to the formation of striated body wall muscles and non-muscle coelomocytes. Here we report that the Six homeodomain protein CEH-34 and its cofactor Eyes Absent, EYA-1, function synergistically to promote the non-muscle fate in cells also competent to form muscles. We further show that the asymmetric expression of ceh-34 and eya-1 is regulated by a combination of 1) mesodermal intrinsic factors MAB-5, HLH-1 and FOZI-1, 2) differential POP-1 (TCF/LEF) transcriptional activity along the anterior–posterior axis, and 3) coelomocyte competence factor(s). These factors are conserved in both vertebrates and invertebrates, suggesting a conserved paradigm for mesoderm development in metazoans.

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Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Cell Biology
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