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Published on: November 29, 2016
Control of Cdc14 activity coordinates cell cycle and development in Caenorhabditis elegans
Sarah H Roy1, Joseph E Clayton, Jenna Holmen
1Department of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
Mechanisms of Development
|July 5, 2011
Summary
The Cdc14 protein family regulates cell cycles. In C. elegans, CDC-14C controls G1/S phase and developmental quiescence through alternative splicing, restricted expression, and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cdc14 phosphatases are key M-phase regulators in yeast.
- The C. elegans homolog, cdc-14, is essential for G1/S regulation and developmental cell-cycle arrest, not mitosis.
- Mechanisms coordinating cdc-14 regulation with development are largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how cdc-14 activity is focused during development in C. elegans.
- Identify the specific cdc-14 variant and regulatory mechanisms involved in vulva development.
- Elucidate the role of cdc-14 in coordinating cell-cycle progression with developmental events.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of alternative splicing variants of the cdc-14 locus.
- Studying post-transcriptional regulation of CDC-14C expression in vulva precursors.
- Investigating the subcellular localization and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of CDC-14C.
- Assessing the dependence of CDC-14C export on Cyclin D and Crm1 family members.
Main Results:
- A single splice variant, CDC-14C, is identified as the key player in vulva development.
- CDC-14C expression is restricted to specific cell types, including vulva precursors, via post-transcriptional control.
- Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling regulates CDC-14C's subcellular location, with Cyclin D and Crm1 family members mediating its nuclear export during interphase.
Conclusions:
- Multiple mechanisms, including alternative splicing, post-transcriptional regulation, and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, converge to focus cdc-14 activity.
- These regulatory processes ensure precise control of CDC-14C, restricting its activity to coordinate cell-cycle progression with C. elegans development.
- The findings highlight an evolutionarily conserved regulatory network for integrating cell-cycle control and development.
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