Regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans posterior hox gene egl‐5 by microRNA and the polycomb‐like gene sop‐2 |
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Authors: | Hongjie Zhang Scott W. Emmons |
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Affiliation: | Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York |
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Abstract: | In Caenorhabditis elegans, the domains of Hox gene expression are controlled by the novel global regulatory gene sop‐2. We identified a region located 3′ of the Hox gene egl‐5 that promotes ectopic expression of an egl‐5 reporter gene in a sop‐2 mutant. SOP‐2 could directly block positive regulatory factors acting in this region, or it could block their expression. We identified three possible miRNA binding sites within the egl‐5 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Cognate microRNAs are expressed in relevant tissues and can block egl‐5 expression when expressed from a transgene. Mutation of the putative binding sites in the egl‐5 3′UTR resulted in a modest degree of misexpression of a minimal egl‐5 reporter gene, suggesting that microRNAs may contribute to the tight restriction of egl‐5 expression to particular cell lineages. Developmental Dynamics 238:595–603, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. |
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