Faculty Collaboration Database

synMuv B proteins antagonize germline fate in the intestine and ensure C. elegans survival. Development 2011 Mar;138(6):1069-79

Date

02/24/2011

Pubmed ID

21343362

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3042865

DOI

10.1242/dev.059501

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-79955158646 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   68 Citations

Abstract

Previous studies demonstrated that a subset of synMuv B mutants ectopically misexpress germline-specific P-granule proteins in their somatic cells, suggesting a failure to properly orchestrate a soma/germline fate decision. Surprisingly, this fate confusion does not affect viability at low to ambient temperatures. Here, we show that, when grown at high temperature, a majority of synMuv B mutants irreversibly arrest at the L1 stage. High temperature arrest (HTA) is accompanied by upregulation of many genes characteristic of germ line, including genes encoding components of the synaptonemal complex and other meiosis proteins. HTA is suppressed by loss of global regulators of germline chromatin, including MES-4, MRG-1, ISW-1 and the MES-2/3/6 complex, revealing that arrest is caused by somatic cells possessing a germline-like chromatin state. Germline genes are preferentially misregulated in the intestine, and necessity and sufficiency tests demonstrate that the intestine is the tissue responsible for HTA. We propose that synMuv B mutants fail to erase or antagonize an inherited germline chromatin state in somatic cells during embryonic and early larval development. As a consequence, somatic cells gain a germline program of gene expression in addition to their somatic program, leading to a mixed fate. Somatic expression of germline genes is enhanced at elevated temperature, leading to developmentally compromised somatic cells and arrest of newly hatched larvae.

Author List

Petrella LN, Wang W, Spike CA, Rechtsteiner A, Reinke V, Strome S

Author

Lisa Petrella PhD Assistant Professor in the Biological Sciences department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Animals, Genetically Modified
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
Cell Lineage
Embryo, Nonmammalian
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Genes, Helminth
Germ Cells
Intestinal Mucosa
Intestines
Larva
Life Cycle Stages
Microarray Analysis
Survival
Temperature