CGC Bibliography Paper 4941

The C. elegans maternal effect gene clk-2 is essential for embryonic development, encodes a protein homologous to yeast Tel2p and affects telomere length.

Benard C, McCright B, Zhang Y, Felkai S, Lakowski B, Hekimi S

Medline:

11641227

Citation:

Development 128: 4045-4055 2001

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

clk-2 cux-7 fem-3 glp-4 lin-39

Abstract:

The Caenorhabditis elegans maternal-effect clk genes are involved in the temporal control of development and behavior. We report the genetic and molecular characterization of clk-2. A temperature-sensitive mutation in the gene clk-2 affects embryonic and post-embryonic development, reproduction, and rhythmic behaviors. Yet, virtually all phenotypes are fully maternally rescued. Embryonic development strictly requires the activity of maternal clk-2 during a narrow time window between oocyte maturation and the two- to four-cell embryonic stage. Positional cloning of clk-2 reveals that it encodes a protein homologous to S. cerevisiae Tel2p. In yeast, the gene TEL2 regulates telomere length and participates in gene silencing at subtelomeric regions. In C elegans, elk-2 mutants have elongated telomeres, and clk-2 overexpression can lead to telomere shortening. Tel2p. has been reported to bind to telomeric DNA repeats in vitro. However, we find that a functional CLK-2::GFP fusion protein is cytoplasmic in worms. We discuss how the phenotype of clk-2 mutants could be the result of altered patterns of gene expression.