Walker Glenda A, Thompson Fiona J, Brawley Andrena, Scanlon Theresa, Devaney Eileen
FASEB J. 2003 Oct;17(13):1960-2. doi: 10.1096/fj.03-0164fje. Epub 2003 Aug 1.
Heat shock factor (HSF) is best characterized as the transcriptional regulator of heat shock protein genes, required by all cells to survive periods of stress. Recent evidence suggests that HSF also functions to regulate the expression of genes involved in growth and development under normal physiological conditions. In this study, we used RNA interference (RNAi) assays to investigate the role of HSF in Caenorhabditis elegans. Exposure of wild-type worms to hsf dsRNAi constructs caused a temperature-sensitive developmental arrest at the L2/L3 stage. At normal growth temperatures, hsf(RNAi) worms that developed to adults were small and scrawny, largely infertile, and showed a significant reduction in life span. These results demonstrate that HSF is required for normal postembryonic development under physiological conditions. Following heat shock, hsf(RNAi) worms were thermosensitive and displayed a significant reduction of hsp16 expression. When hsf(RNAi) was carried out in various dauer-constitutive mutant backgrounds, a dramatic reversal of dauer formation was observed, indicating that HSF is also required in the dauer pathway. In its natural habitat of the soil, where C. elegans is exposed to a constantly fluctuating environment; the ability to integrate the stress response with development may be an essential element of its ecology.
热休克因子（HSF）最显著的特征是作为热休克蛋白基因的转录调节因子，所有细胞在应激期间存活都需要它。最近的证据表明，在正常生理条件下，HSF还具有调节参与生长和发育的基因表达的功能。在本研究中，我们使用RNA干扰（RNAi）试验来研究HSF在秀丽隐杆线虫中的作用。将野生型线虫暴露于hsf dsRNAi构建体导致在L2/L3阶段出现温度敏感的发育停滞。在正常生长温度下，发育成成虫的hsf（RNAi）线虫体型小且瘦弱，大多不育，并且寿命显著缩短。这些结果表明，在生理条件下，HSF是胚胎后正常发育所必需的。热休克后，hsf（RNAi）线虫对温度敏感，并且hsp16表达显著降低。当在各种 dauer 组成型突变背景下进行hsf（RNAi）时，观察到 dauer 形成的显著逆转，表明在 dauer 途径中也需要HSF。在秀丽隐杆线虫所处的自然土壤栖息地中，它暴露于不断变化的环境中；将应激反应与发育整合的能力可能是其生态学的一个基本要素。
