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The Caenorhabditis elegans DDX‐23, a homolog of yeast splicing factor PRP28, is required for the sperm‐oocyte switch and differentiation of various cell types
Author(s) -
Konishi Takafumi,
Uodome Nobuko,
Sugimoto Asako
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.21649
Subject(s) - biology , caenorhabditis elegans , microbiology and biotechnology , germline , rna splicing , rna binding protein , genetics , oocyte , somatic cell , ribonucleoprotein , rna interference , rna , embryo , gene
DEAD/H‐box proteins are involved in various aspects of RNA metabolism. Here we report the developmental function of a DEAD‐box protein, DDX‐23, in Caenorhabditis elegans , which has significant homology with the yeast splicing factor PRP28. We found by RNAi and mutant analyses that DDX‐23 is essential for both embryonic and post‐embryonic development, and required for differentiation of the majority of somatic tissues. When the germline function of ddx‐23 was inhibited, hermaphrodite animals showed a reduced number of germ cells and failed to switch from spermatogenesis to oogenesis. These phenotypes were similar to those of the mutants of the three DEAH‐box proteins (MOG‐1, MOG‐4, and MOG‐5) whose yeast orthologs are involved in the pre‐mRNA splicing pathway. We speculate that DDX‐23 functions with the three MOG proteins in the same pathway to regulate tissue differentiation, robust germline proliferation, and the sperm/oocyte switch through modulations of ribonucleoprotein complexes. Developmental Dynamics 237:2367–2377, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.