The tra-1 gene determines sexual phenotype cell-autonomously in C. elegans
CellPublished 1 December 1990
Craig P. Hunter, William B. Wood
Citations71
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score22.61
SNIP7.62
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TL;DR
It is shown that, with the expected exception of vulval induction by the hermaphrodite gonad, tra-1 functions cell-autonomously, consistent with a role as an intracellular component of a signaling pathway.
Abstract
The tra-1 gene plays a central role in C. elegans sex determination. XX animals develop as hermaphrodites when tra-1 is active and as males when it is not. By analyzing a large number of tra-1 genetic mosaics we have shown that, with the expected exception of vulval induction by the hermaphrodite gonad, tra-1 functions cell-autonomously, consistent with a role as an intracellular component of a signaling pathway. Moreover, all the sexual differentiation genes under tra-1 control must also function cell-autonomously. Our results have additional implications for several aspects of postembryonic development, including mechanisms of sex-specific directed cell migrations and the question of an organizer in the male tail.
Keywords
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