Description |
sel-7 encodes a novel protein with two predicted PEST sequences that is conserved in the related nematode C. briggsae and several parasitic nematodes, but has no known homologs in other organisms; sel-7 was identified in screens for suppressors of dominant lin-12 mutations that result in vulvaless and egg-laying defective animals; although loss of SEL-7 function via mutation or RNAi results in no obvious defects in a wild-type background, genetic studies suggests that SEL-7 acts downstream of LIN-12/Notch to positively regulate LIN-12 signaling, perhaps by regulating the activity or formation of the LAG-1, LIN-12(intra), SEL-8 nuclear complex; in vitro, SEL-7 self-associates and also interacts with TIR-1 (F13B10.1B), a protein that contains sterile alpha and Toll interleukin receptor motifs, and MDT-29 (K08E3.8), a glutamine-rich protein similar to mediator complex subunits, however the functional significance of these interactions is not yet known; a SEL-7::GFP translational fusion reveals expression in the nuclei of several cell types, including vulval precursor cells and those of the developing gonad. |