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SLR‐2 and JMJC‐1 regulate an evolutionarily conserved stress‐response network
Author(s) -
Kirienko Natalia V,
Fay David S
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1038/emboj.2009.387
Subject(s) - biology , fight or flight response , conserved sequence , evolutionary biology , ecology , genetics , gene , base sequence
Maintaining a homeostatic interaction with the environment is crucial for the growth, survival, and propagation of all living organisms. Reestablishment of equilibrium after stress is achieved by the activation of complex transcriptional‐response networks, many of which remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the zinc‐finger protein, SLR‐2, is a master stress regulator and is required for the normal response to pleiotropic stress conditions in Caenorhabditis elegans . Using bioinformatical tools, we identified an evolutionarily conserved nucleotide motif present in slr‐2 stress‐responsive genes and show that this motif is sufficient for stress induction under a variety of conditions. We also demonstrate that JMJC‐1, a conserved Jumonji C domain protein, acts downstream of SLR‐2 to mediate stress response in C. elegans . Moreover, the role of JMJC‐1 in stress response is conserved in Drosophila and mammals. Finally, we provide evidence that the SLR‐2–JMJC‐1 pathway functions independently of the well‐studied DAF‐16/FOXO1 network. These findings point to a previously unrecognized phylogenetically conserved master stress‐response pathway in metazoa.