Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans basic leucine zipper (bZip) protein CES-2 regulates the transcription of different genes in different cells. Here, we show that CES-2 mediates its effects in one cell (the excretory duct cell) together with another bZip protein, ATF-2. Both proteins influence transactivation of a target gene, lin-48. Although lin-48 is required for both anatomical and physiological features of the excretory duct cell, ces-2 and atf-2 mutants only exhibit anatomical defects. We show that CES-2 and ATF-2 modify the temporal transcription of lin-48, acting to initiate embryonic expression required for normal excretory system development and anatomy. In contrast, CES-2 and ATF-2 do not influence post-embryonic lin-48 expression. We provide evidence that CES-2 and ATF-2 can interact with each other, and that they cooperate to form a complex on lin-48 regulatory sequences. Thus, the two bZip proteins function together as one of several inputs that influence the spatial and temporal regulation of lin-48.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Activating Transcription Factor 2 / genetics*
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Activating Transcription Factor 2 / metabolism
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Animals
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Animals, Genetically Modified
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Base Sequence
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Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / genetics*
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Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / metabolism
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Binding Sites
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Caenorhabditis elegans / cytology
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Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
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Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics*
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism
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Evolution, Molecular
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Gene Expression Regulation
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
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Larva / cytology
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Larva / genetics
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Larva / metabolism
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Species Specificity
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Transcription Factors / genetics
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Transcription Factors / metabolism
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Transcription, Genetic*
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Transcriptional Activation
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Transgenes
Substances
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Activating Transcription Factor 2
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Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors
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CES-2 protein, C elegans
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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Lin-48 protein, C elegans
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Transcription Factors