The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is required for gonadal and uterine-vulval morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Abstract
The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification alters the subcellular distribution and function of its substrates. Here we show the major role of SUMO during the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans reproductive system. smo-1 deletion mutants develop into sterile adults with abnormal somatic gonad, germ line, and vulva. SMO-1::GFP reporter is highly expressed in the somatic reproductive system. smo-1 animals lack a vulval-uterine connection as a result of impaired ventral uterine π-cell differentiation and anchor cell fusion. Mutations in the LIN-11 LIM domain transcription factor lead to a uterine phenotype that resembles the smo-1 phenotype. LIN-11 is sumoylated, and its sumoylation is required for its activity during uterine morphogenesis. Expression of a SUMO-modified LIN-11 in the smo-1 background partially rescued π-cell differentiation and retained LIN-11 in nuclear bodies. Thus, our results identify the reproductive system as the major SUMO target during postembryonic development and highlight LIN-11 as a physiological substrate whose sumoylation is associated with the formation of a functional vulval-uterine connection.
Additional Information
© 2004 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. Received May 28, 2004; revised version accepted August 9, 2004. We thank the C. elegans Gene Knockout Project team at OMRF for generating the smo-1 null strain. We thank the Caernorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC) for providing strains, Reuven Agami for the kind gift of the pSUPER construct, Ke Shuai for the PIAS3 plasmid, Susan Strome for the SP56 antibody, and Chelly Hresko and Bob Waterston for the MH27 antibody. We also thank the members of the Ronai and Podbilewicz Labs for discussions. P.W.S. is an Investigator and P.B.G. was an Associate with the HHMI. Support from NCI grant CA59908 (to Z.R.), HFSP, and the Israel Science Foundation (to B.P.) is gratefully acknowledged.Attached Files
Published - 0182380.pdf
Supplemental Material - BrodaySuppFig1.pdf
Supplemental Material - BrodaySuppFig2.pdf
Supplemental Material - BrodaySuppFig3.pdf
Supplemental Material - BrodaySuppFig4.pdf
Supplemental Material - BrodaySuppFig5.pdf
Supplemental Material - BrodaySuppFigureLegends.doc
Supplemental Material - Broday_Fig6.pdf
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Additional details
- PMCID
- PMC522988
- Eprint ID
- 95477
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20190514-100517710
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
- NIH
- CA59908
- Human Frontier Science Program
- Israel Science Foundation
- Created
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2019-05-14Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2023-03-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field