Specification of Germ Cell Fates by FOG-3 Has Been Conserved During Nematode Evolution

Chen, Pei-Jiun; Cho, Soochin; Jin, Suk‐Won; Ellis, Ronald

doi:10.1093/genetics/158.4.1513

Cited by 49 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The core members of the sex determination pathway in C. elegans are found in related species. In particular, tra-2 (3, 4), fem-2 (5-7), fem-3 (7,8), and fog-3 (9) are conserved in both sequence and function in C. elegans, C. briggsae, and C. remanei. Furthermore, the interaction between TRA-2 and FEM-3 is conserved in all three species (8), and a TRA-2/TRA-1 interaction has been documented in C. elegans and C. briggsae (10).…”

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confidence: 99%

Mutations in Two Independent Pathways Are Sufficient to Create Hermaphroditic Nematodes

Baldi

Cho

Ellis

2009

Science

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Although the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans produces self-fertile hermaphrodites, it descended from a male/female species, so hermaphroditism provides a model for the origin of novel traits. In the related species C. remanei, which has only male and female sexes, lowering the activity of tra-2 by RNA interference created XX animals that made spermatids as well as oocytes, but their spermatids could not activate without the addition of male seminal fluid. However, by lowering the expression of both tra-2 and swm-1, a gene that regulates sperm activation in C. elegans, we produced XX animals with active sperm that were self-fertile. Thus, the evolution of hermaphroditism in Caenorhabditis probably required two steps: a mutation in the sex-determination pathway that caused XX spermatogenesis and a mutation that allowed these spermatids to self-activate.

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confidence: 99%

Mutations in Two Independent Pathways Are Sufficient to Create Hermaphroditic Nematodes

Baldi

Cho

Ellis

2009

Science

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“…Fortunately, the 2 species developed self-fertility independently from a common male/female ancestor [Cho et al, 2004;Kiontke et al, 2004Kiontke et al, , 2011. However, the components of the core sex-determination pathway remain the same in both, such as tra-1 [de Bono Kelleher et al, 2008], tra-2 [Kuwabara, 1996b;Kelleher et al, 2008], the fem genes [Hansen and Pilgrim, 1998;Hill et al, 2006], and fog-3 [Chen et al, 2001]. Although many of these proteins are evolving rapidly in sequence, they have preserved the same interaction partners, as seen for TRA-2/FEM-3 [Haag et al, 2002] and TRA-2/TRA-1 [Wang and Kimble, 2001].…”

Section: Germ Cell Fate Regulation Changes Quickly During Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex Determination in Nematode Germ Cells

Ellis¹

2022

Sex Dev

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Background: Animal germ cells differentiate as sperm or as oocytes. These sexual fates are controlled by complex regulatory pathways to ensure that the proper gametes are made at the appropriate times. Summary: Nematodes like Caenorhabditis elegans and its close relatives are ideal models for studying how this regulation works, because the XX animals are self-fertile hermaphrodites that produce both sperm and oocytes. In these worms, germ cells use the same signal transduction pathway that functions in somatic cells. This pathway determines the activity of the transcription factor TRA-1, a Gli protein that can repress male genes. However, the pathway is extensively modified in germ cells, largely by the action of translational regulators like the PUF proteins. Many of these modifications play critical roles in allowing the XX hermaphrodites to make sperm in an otherwise female body. Finally, TRA-1 cooperates with chromatin regulators in the germ line to control the activity of fog-1 and fog-3, which are essential for spermatogenesis. FOG-1 and FOG-3 work together to determine germ cell fates by blocking the translation of oogenic transcripts. Key Messages: Although there is great diversity in how germ cell fates are controlled in other animals, many of the key nematode genes are conserved, and the critical role of translational regulators may be universal.

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Sex‐determination gene and pathway evolution in nematodes

Stothard

Pilgrim

2003

BioEssays

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The pathway that controls sexual fate in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been well characterized at the molecular level. By identifying differences between the sex-determination mechanisms in C. elegans and other nematode species, it should be possible to understand how complex sex-determining pathways evolve. Towards this goal, orthologues of many of the C. elegans sex regulators have been isolated from other members of the genus Caenorhabditis. Rapid sequence evolution is observed in every case, but several of the orthologues appear to have conserved sex-determining roles. Thus extensive sequence divergence does not necessarily coincide with changes in pathway structure, although the same forces may contribute to both. This review summarizes recent findings and, with reference to results from other animals, offers explanations for why sex-determining genes and pathways appear to be evolving rapidly. Experimental strategies that hold promise for illuminating pathway differences between nematodes are also discussed.

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Specification of Germ Cell Fates by FOG-3 Has Been Conserved During Nematode Evolution

Cited by 49 publications

References 39 publications

Mutations in Two Independent Pathways Are Sufficient to Create Hermaphroditic Nematodes

Mutations in Two Independent Pathways Are Sufficient to Create Hermaphroditic Nematodes

Sex Determination in Nematode Germ Cells

Sex‐determination gene and pathway evolution in nematodes

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