Abstract
Semaphorins and ephrins are axon guidance cues. In C. elegans, semaphorin-2a/mab-20 and ephrin-4/efn-4/mab-26 also regulate cell sorting to form distinct rays in the male tail. Several erf (enhancer of ray fusion) mutations were identified in a mab-20 enhancer screen. Mutants of plexin-2 (plx-2) and unc-129, which encodes an axon guiding TGF-beta, were also found to be erfs. Genetic analyses show that plx-2 and mab-20 function in the same pathway, as expected if PLX-2 is a receptor for MAB-20. Surprisingly, MAB-20 also signals in a parallel pathway that requires efn-4. This signal utilizes a non-plexin receptor. The expression of plx-2, efn-4, and unc-129 in subsets of 3-cell sensory ray clusters likely mediates the ray-specific cell sorting functions of the ubiquitously expressed mab-20. We present a model for the integrated control of TGF-beta, semaphorin, and ephrin signaling in the sorting of cell clusters into distinct rays in the developing male tail.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Animals, Genetically Modified
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Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
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Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
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Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism*
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology*
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Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
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Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
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Chi-Square Distribution
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Chromosome Mapping / methods
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Cloning, Molecular
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DNA Mutational Analysis
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Enhancer Elements, Genetic
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Ephrin-A4 / genetics
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Ephrin-A4 / physiology*
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Ephrins / physiology
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
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Green Fluorescent Proteins
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Immunohistochemistry / methods
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Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
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Male
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Membrane Proteins / genetics
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Membrane Proteins / physiology*
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Models, Molecular
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Mutagenesis, Insertional / methods
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Mutation
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Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
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Nerve Tissue Proteins / physiology*
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
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Sense Organs / physiology*
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Sequence Analysis, DNA
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Signal Transduction / physiology*
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Transforming Growth Factor beta / genetics
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Transforming Growth Factor beta / physiology*
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Xenopus Proteins / genetics
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Xenopus Proteins / metabolism
Substances
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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Cell Cycle Proteins
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EFN-4 protein, C elegans
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Ephrin-A4
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Ephrins
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Luminescent Proteins
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Membrane Proteins
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Nerve Tissue Proteins
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Transforming Growth Factor beta
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UNC-129 protein, C elegans
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Xenopus Proteins
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mab-20 protein, C elegans
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Green Fluorescent Proteins
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PlK2 protein, Xenopus
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Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases