Developmental timing in C. elegans is regulated by kin-20 and tim-1, homologs of core circadian clock genes |
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Authors: | Banerjee Diya Kwok Alvin Lin Shin-Yi Slack Frank J |
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Institution: | Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208103, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. |
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Abstract: | In Caenorhabditis elegans, heterochronic genes constitute a developmental timer that specifies temporal cell fate selection. The heterochronic gene lin-42 is the C. elegans homolog of Drosophila and mammalian period, key regulators of circadian rhythms, which specify changes in behavior and physiology over a 24 hr day/night cycle. We show a role for two other circadian gene homologs, tim-1 and kin-20, in the developmental timer. Along with lin-42, tim-1 and kin-20, the C. elegans homologs of the Drosophila circadian clock genes timeless and doubletime, respectively, are required to maintain late-larval identity and prevent premature expression of adult cell fates. The molecular parallels between circadian and developmental timing pathways suggest the existence of a conserved molecular mechanism that may be used for different types of biological timing. |
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