An HMG1-like protein facilitates Wnt signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans

Genes Dev. 1999 Apr 1;13(7):877-89. doi: 10.1101/gad.13.7.877.

Abstract

We show that during Caenorhabditis elegans male spicule development, the specification of a glial versus neuronal cell fate in a canonical neurogenic sublineage is dependent on Wnt signaling. Inactivation of a Wnt signaling pathway mediated by the Wnt receptor LIN-17 transforms the SPD sheath cell into its sister, the SPD neuron. We discovered a new mutant, son-1, that displays this same cell fate transformation. The son-1 mutation enhances the phenotypes of reduction-of-function lin-17 mutants in several developmental processes, including vulva development, somatic gonad development, and male tail patterning. son-1 encodes an HMG1/2-like DNA-binding protein and is localized in all cell nuclei through development as revealed by a GFP reporter construct. Disruption of son-1 function by RNA-mediated interference results in the same spicule defect as caused by overexpression of POP-1, a TCF/LEF class HMG protein known to act downstream of the Wnt signaling pathway. Our results provide in vivo evidence for the functional involvement of an HMG1/2-like protein, SON-1, in Wnt signaling. The sequence nonspecific HMG protein SON-1 and the sequence specific HMG protein POP-1 might both act in the Wnt responding cells to regulate gene transcription in opposite directions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified / metabolism
  • Base Sequence
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / cytology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / growth & development
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*
  • Cell Lineage
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Genotype
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • High Mobility Group Proteins / metabolism*
  • Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Male
  • Minor Histocompatibility Antigens
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Genetic
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / metabolism
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled*
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction
  • Time Factors
  • Wnt Proteins
  • Zebrafish Proteins*

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • High Mobility Group Proteins
  • LIN-17 protein, C elegans
  • Luminescent Proteins
  • Minor Histocompatibility Antigens
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • SON protein, human
  • Wnt Proteins
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • pop-1 protein, C elegans
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins