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The C. elegans F-box/WD-repeat protein LIN-23 functions to limit cell division during development.
E T Kipreos1, S P Gohel, E M Hedgecock
1Department of Cellular Biology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA. ekipreos@cb.uga.edu
Development (Cambridge, England)
|November 4, 2000
Summary
The lin-23 gene in C. elegans restrains cell proliferation during development. Its absence causes extra cell divisions, highlighting its role in cell cycle regulation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Cycle Regulation
- Genetics
Background:
- Multicellular eukaryotes rely on precise developmental signals to control cell growth and division.
- Regulation of G(1) cell cycle regulators involves synthesis, activation, and degradation pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the function of the lin-23 gene in Caenorhabditis elegans.
- To investigate lin-23's role in restraining cell proliferation in response to developmental cues.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lin-23 null mutants in C. elegans.
- Identification of lin-23 as an F-box/WD-repeat protein.
- Comparison with orthologous genes in yeast (MET30), Drosophila (slmb), and humans (betaTRCP).
Main Results:
- lin-23 null mutants exhibit extra divisions in postembryonic blast cells, producing supernumerary cells.
- The timing of initial cell cycle entry is unaffected in lin-23 mutants.
- lin-23 functions cell-autonomously to negatively regulate cell cycle progression.
Conclusions:
- lin-23 is essential for restraining cell proliferation and enabling cell cycle exit in response to developmental signals.
- lin-23 acts as a component of SCF ubiquitin-ligase complexes, similar to its orthologs.
- Dysregulation of lin-23 impacts developmental cell proliferation control.