Beanan M J, Strome S
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
Development. 1992 Nov;116(3):755-66. doi: 10.1242/dev.116.3.755.
The C. elegans germ line is generated by extensive proliferation of the two germ-line progenitor cells present in newly hatched larvae. We describe genetic and phenotypic characterization of glp-4, a locus whose product is required for normal proliferation of the germ line. glp-4(bn2ts) mutant worms raised at the restrictive temperature contain approximately 12 germ nuclei, in contrast to the 700-1000 present in wild-type adults. The few germ cells present in sterile glp-4 adults appear to be arrested at prophase of the mitotic cell cycle. This cell-cycle disruption prevents the germ cells from entering meiosis and differentiating into gametes. Shifting sterile glp-4 worms to the permissive temperature enables their germ cells to undergo extensive proliferation and form gametes, demonstrating that the bn2-induced cell-cycle arrest is reversible and that proliferation and differentiation of germ cells can be uncoupled from development of the somatic gonad. The glp-4(bn2ts) mutation can be used to generate large populations of worms that are severely depleted in germ cells, facilitating determination of whether any gene of interest is expressed in the germ line or soma or both.
秀丽隐杆线虫的生殖系由新孵化幼虫中存在的两个生殖系祖细胞大量增殖产生。我们描述了glp-4的遗传和表型特征，该位点的产物是生殖系正常增殖所必需的。在限制温度下培养的glp-4(bn2ts)突变体蠕虫含有大约12个生殖细胞核，相比之下，野生型成虫中有700-1000个。不育的glp-4成虫中存在的少数生殖细胞似乎在有丝分裂细胞周期的前期停滞。这种细胞周期破坏阻止生殖细胞进入减数分裂并分化为配子。将不育的glp-4蠕虫转移到允许温度下，可使其生殖细胞进行大量增殖并形成配子，这表明bn2诱导的细胞周期停滞是可逆的，并且生殖细胞的增殖和分化可以与体细胞性腺的发育解偶联。glp-4(bn2ts)突变可用于产生大量生殖细胞严重减少的蠕虫，便于确定任何感兴趣的基因是否在生殖系或体细胞或两者中表达。
