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Determining Genetic Expression Profiles in C. elegans Using Microarray and Real-time PCR
Published on: July 30, 2011
Functional overlap between the mec-8 gene and five sym genes in Caenorhabditis elegans
A G Davies1, C A Spike, J E Shaw
1Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.
Genetics
|September 3, 1999
Summary
Loss of the Caenorhabditis elegans mec-8 gene causes muscle attachment defects. New genes, sym-1-sym-4, are essential when mec-8 is absent, revealing novel muscle attachment pathways.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The Caenorhabditis elegans gene mec-8 regulates alternative RNA splicing.
- mec-8 loss-of-function mutants exhibit sensory neuron and body muscle attachment defects but are viable.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify genes that are synthetically lethal with mec-8 loss-of-function.
- Elucidate the function of these genes in muscle attachment and development.
Main Methods:
- Genetic screening to identify synthetic lethal mutations.
- RNA-mediated interference (RNAi) experiments.
- Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein rescue experiments.
Main Results:
- Five mutations in four genes (sym-1-sym-4) were identified as synthetically lethal with mec-8 mutations.
- mec-8; sym-1 embryos show defects in muscle-to-cuticle attachment and embryonic elongation.
- SYM-1 protein is secreted and functions in muscle attachment.
- A mec-8 relative functionally overlaps with sym-1 in muscle attachment.
Conclusions:
- SYM-1 is crucial for body muscle attachment to the extracellular cuticle.
- MEC-8 and SYM-1 pathways functionally overlap, with SYM-1 acting in muscle attachment.
- Additional genes (sym-2, sym-3, sym-4) provide essential functions in the absence of mec-8.
