The Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-14 encodes a nuclear protein that forms a temporal developmental switch

Nature. 1989 Mar 23;338(6213):313-9. doi: 10.1038/338313a0.

Abstract

During wild-type development, a protein product of the Caenorhabditis elegans heterochronic gene lin-14 is localized to nuclei of specific somatic cells in embryos and early larvae, but is absent in late larvae and adult soma. Gain-of-function lin-14 mutations cause the level of lin-14 protein to remain high throughout development, resulting in developmental reiterations of early cell lineages. The normal down-regulation of the lin-14 nuclear protein level encodes a temporal switch between early and late cell fates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution
  • Caenorhabditis / genetics*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Morphogenesis
  • Mutation
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Nuclear Proteins