Savage-Dunn Cathy
Department of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA.
WormBook. 2005 Sep 9:1-12. doi: 10.1895/wormbook.1.22.1.
TGF-beta superfamily ligands play fundamental roles in the development and physiology of diverse animal species. Genetic and genomic analyses in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans have contributed to the understanding of TGF-beta-related signal transduction mechanisms. In this chapter, I describe the currently characterized TGF-beta-related signals and signal transduction cassettes in C. elegans. Homology searches of the genome identify five TGF-beta-related genes, for which functions have been identified for three. Two of the TGF-beta-related genes, daf-7 and dbl-1, function through conventional signaling pathways. These signaling pathways are comprised of ser/thr kinase receptors, Smads, and transcription co-factors. A third TGF-beta-related gene, unc-129, functions in axonal guidance using novel signaling mechanisms. Thus, TGF-beta-related signaling in C. elegans proceeds via both conserved and novel paradigms that can inform studies in other animal systems.
转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）超家族配体在多种动物物种的发育和生理学中发挥着重要作用。模式生物秀丽隐杆线虫中的遗传和基因组分析有助于理解与TGF-β相关的信号转导机制。在本章中，我描述了秀丽隐杆线虫中目前已被表征的与TGF-β相关的信号和信号转导模块。对基因组的同源性搜索鉴定出五个与TGF-β相关的基因，其中三个基因的功能已被确定。两个与TGF-β相关的基因，daf-7和dbl-1，通过传统信号通路发挥作用。这些信号通路由丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶受体、Smads和转录辅助因子组成。第三个与TGF-β相关的基因unc-129，利用新的信号机制在轴突导向中发挥作用。因此，秀丽隐杆线虫中与TGF-β相关的信号传导通过保守和新的模式进行，这可为其他动物系统的研究提供参考。
