Control of the sperm–oocyte switch in Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites by the fem-3 3′ untranslated region (original) (raw)

Nature volume 349, pages 346–348 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

IN the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite germ line, sperm and then oocytes are made from a common pool of germ-cell precursors. The decision to differentiate as a sperm or an oocyte is regulated by the sex-determining gene,fem-3. Expression of fem-3 in the hermaphrodite germ line directs spermatogenesis and must be negatively regulated to allow the switch to oogenesis1,2. In adult hermaphrodites (which are producing oocytes), most_fem-3_ RNA is found in the germ line3, consistent with both the requirement for fem-3 in hermaphrodite spermatogenesis and the maternal effects of fem-3 on embryonic sex determination1,2Whereas loss-of-function mutants in fem-3 produce only oocytes, hermaphrodites carrying any of nine fem-3 gain-of-function (g_f_) mutations make none; instead sperm are produced continuously and in vast excess over wild-type amounts1Genetic analyses suggest that fem-3(gf) mutations have escaped a negative control required for the switch to oogenesis1. Here we report that all nine fem-3(gf) mutants carry sequence alterations in the fem-3 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR). There is no increase in the steady-state level of fem-3(gf) RNA over wild-type, but there is an increase in the polyadenylation of fem-3(gf) RNA that is coincident with the unregulated fem-3 sactivity. Results of a titration experiment support the hypothesis that a regulatory factor may bind the fem-3 3′ UTR. We speculate that fem-3 RNA is regulated through its 3′ UTR by binding a factor that inhibits translation, and discuss the idea that this control may be part of a more general regulation of maternal RNAs.

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  1. Judith Kimble: To whom correspondence should be addressed at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, 1525 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Graduate School, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
    Julie Ahringer & Judith Kimble

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  1. Julie Ahringer
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  2. Judith Kimble
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Ahringer, J., Kimble, J. Control of the sperm–oocyte switch in Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites by the fem-3 3′ untranslated region.Nature 349, 346–348 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349346a0

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