Encodes an HMG Box Protein Required for the Specification of a Mesoderm Precursor in Early C . elegans Embryos

In C. elegans embryogenesis, the MS blastomere produces predominantly mesodermal cell types, while its sister E generates only endodermal tissue. We show that a maternal gene, pop-l, is essential for the specification of MS fate and that a mutation in pop-l results in MS adopting an E fate. Previous studies have shown that the maternal gene skn-7 is required for both MS and E development and that skn-7 encodes a transcription factor. We show here that the pop-l gene encodes a protein with an HMG box similar to the HMG boxes in thevertebratelymphoid-specifictranscriptional regulators TCF-1 and LEF-1. We propose that POP-l and SKN-1 function together in the early embryo to allow MS-specific differentiation.

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