Developmental Cell
Volume 4, Issue 5, May 2003, Pages 639-650
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Article
The C. elegans hunchback Homolog, hbl-1, Controls Temporal Patterning and Is a Probable MicroRNA Target

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Abstract

hunchback regulates the temporal identity of neuroblasts in Drosophila. Here we show that hbl-1, the C. elegans hunchback ortholog, also controls temporal patterning. Furthermore, hbl-1 is a probable target of microRNA regulation through its 3′UTR. hbl-1 loss-of-function causes the precocious expression of adult seam cell fates. This phenotype is similar to loss-of-function of lin-41, a known target of the let-7 microRNA. Like lin-41 mutations, hbl-1 loss-of-function partially suppresses a let-7 mutation. The hbl-1 3′UTR is both necessary and sufficient to downregulate a reporter gene during development, and the let-7 and lin-4 microRNAs are both required for HBL-1/GFP downregulation. Multiple elements in the hbl-1 3′UTR show complementarity to regulatory microRNAs, suggesting that microRNAs directly control hbl-1. MicroRNAs may likewise function to regulate Drosophila hunchback during temporal patterning of the nervous system.

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Present address: The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 348, New York, New York 10021.

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Present address: Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biology 0368, Bonner Hall, Room 2214, 9500 Gilman Drive, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093.