Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 106, Issue 48, Pages 20252-20257Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0907916106
Keywords
embryogenesis; nematode; RNA-binding protein; post-transcriptional regulation; maternal effect
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Funding
- National Institutes of Health [GM081422]
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Totipotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into every cell type. Renewal of totipotent stem cells in the germline and cellular differentiation during early embryogenesis rely upon post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. The Caenorhabditis elegans RNA binding protein, MEX-3, plays a key role in both processes. MEX-3 is a maternally-supplied factor that controls the RNA metabolism of transcripts encoding critical cell fate determinants. However, the nucleotide sequence specificity and requirements of MEX-3 mRNA recognition remain unclear. Only a few candidate regulatory targets have been identified, and the full extent of the network of MEX-3 targets is not known. Here, we define the consensus sequence required for MEX-3 RNA recognition and demonstrate that this element is required for MEX-3 dependent regulation of gene expression in live worms. Based on this work, we identify several candidate MEX-3 targets that help explain its dual role in regulating germline stem cell totipotency and embryonic cell fate specification.
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