Evolutionary change within a bipotential switch shaped the sperm/oocyte decision in hermaphroditic nematodes.

ABSTRACT: A subset of transcription factors like Gli2 and Oct1 are bipotential--they can activate or repress the same target, in response to changing signals from upstream genes. Some previous studies implied that the sex-determination protein TRA-1 might also be bipotential; here we confirm this hypothesis by identifying a co-factor, and use it to explore how the structure of a bipotential switch changes during evolution. First, null mutants reveal that C. briggsae TRR-1 is required for spermatogenesis, RNA interference implies that it works as part of the Tip60 Histone Acetyl Transferase complex, and RT-PCR data show that it promotes the expression of Cbr-fog-3, a gene needed for spermatogenesis. Second, epistasis tests reveal that TRR-1 works through TRA-1, both to activate Cbr-fog-3 and to contr

SUBMITTER: Guo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3789826 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature