Krause M
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Bioessays. 1995 Mar;17(3):219-28. doi: 10.1002/bies.950170308.
One of the goals in developmental biology is the identification of key regulatory genes that govern the transition of embryonic cells from a pluripotent potential to a specific, committed cell fate. During vertebrate skeletal myogenesis, this transition is regulated by the MyoD family of genes. C. elegans has muscle analogous to vertebrate skeletal muscle and has a gene (hlh-1) related to the MyoD family. The molecular and genetic characterization of hlh-1 shows that it is very similar to the vertebrate MyoD family in many respects, including its expression pattern and DNA binding activity. The hlh-1 product is required for proper myogenesis, but it is not required for myogenic commitment during embryogenesis in the nematode. The role of this MyoD-related gene in nematode myogenesis is discussed and compared to those of the vertebrate MyoD family.
发育生物学的目标之一是鉴定关键调控基因，这些基因控制胚胎细胞从多能潜能向特定的、定向的细胞命运转变。在脊椎动物骨骼肌生成过程中，这种转变由MyoD基因家族调控。秀丽隐杆线虫具有与脊椎动物骨骼肌类似的肌肉，并且有一个与MyoD家族相关的基因（hlh-1）。hlh-1的分子和遗传学特征表明，它在许多方面与脊椎动物的MyoD家族非常相似，包括其表达模式和DNA结合活性。hlh-1产物是正常肌生成所必需的，但在秀丽隐杆线虫胚胎发育过程中，它对于肌源性定向并非必需。本文讨论了这个与MyoD相关的基因在秀丽隐杆线虫肌生成中的作用，并将其与脊椎动物MyoD家族的作用进行了比较。
