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. 1995 Oct;141(2):513–526. doi: 10.1093/genetics/141.2.513

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Lin-12 Expression during C. Elegans Hermaphrodite Development

H A Wilkinson 1, IVA Greenwald 1
PMCID: PMC1206752  PMID: 8647389

Abstract

The lin-12 gene encodes a receptor that mediates certain cell-cell interactions during Caenorhabditis elegans development. We have examined the expression of a lin-12::lacZ reporter gene in individual cells during the development of C. elegans hermaphrodites. lin-12::lacZ is expressed in a discrete spatial and temporal pattern during development and the lin-12::lacZ reporter gene will provide a useful marker for other studies, particularly of somatic gonadal and vulval development. In general, the cells that express lin-12::lacZ correspond to cells whose fates are known to be altered in lin-12 mutants implying that restriction of lin-12 expression may be an important regulatory mechanism; the exceptions to this statement may reveal the cellular defects that underlie aspects of the lin-12 phenotype that have not been previously explained. For decisions that are not naturally variable, lin-12::lacZ expression does not appear to change before or upon commitment to a cell fate implying that in these cases posttranscriptional regulation of lin-12 activity may control cell fate specification.

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Selected References

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