[
J Cell Physiol,
1999]
The POU (Pit-Oct-Unc) family of transcription factors was originally defined on the basis of a common DNA binding domain in the mammalian factors Pit-1, Oct-1, and Oct-2 as well as the nematode protein Unc-86. Subsequently, a number of other POU family factors have been identified in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Many of these original and subsequently isolated members of the family have been shown to play critical roles in the development and functioning of the nervous system. To exemplify this, studies are described involving the functional characterisation of the Oct-2 factor, one of the original POU factors, and of the Brn-3 factors, which were isolated subsequently and are the mammalian factors most closely related to Unc-86.
[
Genes Dev,
1999]
Double-strand RNA (dsRNA) is a signal for gene-specific silencing of expression in a number of organisms. This phenomenon was demonstrated recently in Caenorhabditis elegans when dsRNA was injected into the worm and the corresponding gene products disappeared from both the somatic cells of the organism as well as in its F1 progeny. This RNA interference, RNAi, has been generalized to many genes in C. elegans. ds-RNA can also suppress expression of specific genes in plants, a component of the phenomenon called cosuppression. Two recent reports document dsRNA-mediated interference with expression of specific genes in other organisms. Double-strand RNA produced gene-specific phenotypes in Trypanosoma brucei and, very recently, dsRNA-mediated interference was demonstrated in Drosophila. Thus, the RNAi phenomenon is likely to be a general mechanism for gene regulation and may be critical for many developmental and antiviral processes.