GLD-3, a bicaudal-C homolog that inhibits FBF to control germline sex determination in C. elegans

The FBF RNA binding proteins control multiple aspects of C. elegans germline development, including sex determination. FBF promotes the oocyte fate at the expense of spermatogenesis by binding a regulatory element in the fem-3 3'UTR and repressing this sex-determining gene. Here we report the discovery of GLD-3, a Bicaudal-C homolog and cytoplasmic protein that physically interacts with FBF. Using RNAi and a gld-3 deletion mutant, we show that GLD-3 promotes the sperm fate, a sex determination effect opposite to that of FBF. By epistasis analysis, GLD-3 acts upstream of FBF, and, in a yeast three-hybrid assay, GLD-3 interferes specifically with FBF binding to the fem-3 3'UTR. We propose that GLD-3 binds FBF and thereby inhibits its repression of target mRNAs.