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PRP‐17 and the pre‐mRNA splicing pathway are preferentially required for the proliferation versus meiotic development decision and germline sex determination in Caenorhabditis elegans
Author(s) -
Kerins Jessica Amrozowicz,
Hanazawa Momoyo,
Dorsett Maia,
Schedl Tim
Publication year - 2010
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.22274
Subject(s) - biology , germline , rna splicing , caenorhabditis elegans , genetics , rna interference , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , alternative splicing , splicing factor , messenger rna , rna
Abstract In C. elegans , the decision between germline stem cell proliferation and entry into meiosis is controlled by GLP‐1 Notch signaling, which promotes proliferation through repression of the redundant GLD‐1 and GLD‐2 pathways that direct meiotic entry. We identify prp‐17 as another gene functioning downstream of GLP‐1 signaling that promotes meiotic entry, largely by acting on the GLD‐1 pathway, and that also functions in female germline sex determination. PRP‐17 is orthologous to the yeast and human pre‐mRNA splicing factor PRP17/CDC40 and can rescue the temperature‐sensitive lethality of yeast PRP17 . This link to splicing led to an RNAi screen of predicted C. elegans splicing factors in sensitized genetic backgrounds. We found that many genes throughout the splicing cascade function in the proliferation/meiotic entry decision and germline sex determination indicating that splicing per se, rather than a novel function of a subset of splicing factors, is necessary for these processes. Developmental Dynamics 239:1555–1572, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.