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Resources » Paper

Shin-Yi Lin et al. (2002) East Coast Worm Meeting "hbl-1, a homologue of Drosophila hunchback, regulates temporal patterning during C. elegans post-embryonic development"

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  • Comments on Shin-Yi Lin et al. (2002) East Coast Worm Meeting "hbl-1, a homologue of Drosophila hunchback, regulates temporal patterning during C. elegans post-embryonic development" (0)

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    Status:
    Publication type:
    Meeting_abstract
    WormBase ID:
    WBPaper00010220

    Shin-Yi Lin, Mary Abraham, Eun-Young Choi, Steven Johnson, Amy Pasquinelli, Frank Slack, & Gary Ruvkun (2002). hbl-1, a homologue of Drosophila hunchback, regulates temporal patterning during C. elegans post-embryonic development presented in East Coast Worm Meeting. Unpublished information; cite only with author permission.

    While the genes involved in spatial patterning have been extensively studied, we are just beginning to understand the genes that control development along the axis of time. Thus far, the best characterized genetic pathway that regulates temporal identity is the heterochronic pathway of C. elegans. The developmental transition between the fourth larval stage and the adult stage in C. elegans is under the control of the heterochronic genes let-7, lin-41, and lin-29. let-7 encodes an untranslated micro-RNA (miRNA); it is thought to post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of its target genes (e.g. lin-41) by binding to complementary sites in the 3'UTRs of their mRNAs. We isolated a precocious allele of hbl-1 in a genetic screen for heterochronic mutants. Our data suggests that hbl-1, a homologue of Drosophila hunchback, is another late-acting member of the heterochronic pathway. Like lin-41, hbl-1's expression is likely to be regulated by let-7through the 3'UTR of its mRNA. Furthermore, hbl-1 may act in parallel or in conjunction with lin-41 to repress adult fates during larval stages. Studies in Drosophila have shown that Brain Tumor regulates hunchback expression post-transcriptionally via interactions with sites in the hunchback mRNA; significantly, Brain Tumor is a member of the same RBCC protein family as lin-41. Taken together, these observations suggest an enticing explanation for the genetic interaction observed between lin-41and hbl-1: it is possible that lin-41 post-transcriptionally regulates hbl-1 expression via a similar mechanism. Since hunchback is best known for its embryonic role in spatial patterning in the fly, it is intriguing that we have characterized a post-embryonic role for hbl-1 in temporal patterning in the worm. Our data supports the hypothesis that spatial and temporal patterning programs may utilize common genetic players, and may thus share regulatory mechanisms. Studies of how hbl-1 functions in the heterochronic pathway in C. elegans will lend insight into the potential for as of yet unexplored roles for homologues of hbl-1 and of the other heterochronic genes in developmental patterning across phylogeny.


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