Regulation of anchor cell invasion and uterine cell fates by the egl-43 Evi-1 proto-oncogene in Caenorhabditis elegans

Cell invasion is a tightly controlled process occurring during development and turner progression. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans serves as a genetic model to study cell invasion during normal development. In the third larval stage, the anchor cell in the somatic gonad first induces and then invades the adjacent epidermal vulva] precursor cells. The homolog of the Evi-1 oncogene, egl-43, is necessary for basement membrane destruction and anchor cell invasion. egl-43 is part of a regulatory network mediating cell invasion downstream of the fos-1 protooncogene. In addition, EGL-43 is required to specify the cell fates of ventral uterus cells downstream of or in parallel with UN-12 NOTCH. Comparison with mammalian Evi-1 suggests a conserved pathway controlling cell invasion and cell fate specification. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.