Differentiation of germinal and somatic cells in Volvox carteri.
Curr Opin Microbiol
; 6(6): 608-13, 2003 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-14662357
ABSTRACT
Volvox carteri is a spherical alga with a complete division of labor between around 2000 biflagellate somatic cells and 16 asexual reproductive cells (gonidia). It provides an attractive system for studying how a molecular genetic program for cell-autonomous differentiation is encoded within the genome. Three types of genes have been identified as key players in germ-soma differentiation a set of gls genes that act in the embryo to shift cell-division planes, resulting in asymmetric divisions that set apart the large-small sister-cell pairs; a set of lag genes that act in the large gonidial initials to prevent somatic differentiation; and the regA gene, which acts in the small somatic initials to prevent reproductive development. Somatic-cell-specific expression of regA is controlled by intronic enhancer and silencer elements.
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Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Volvox
Idioma:
En
Año:
2003
Tipo del documento:
Article