Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2011
Abstract
NHR-23 is a conserved member of nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. It is required for C. elegans normal development and is critical for growth and molting.
In a search for NHR-23 dependent genes we performed whole genome comparative expression microarrays on both control and nhr-23 inhibited synchronized larvae. Genes that decreased in response to nhr-23 RNAi included collagen genes and unexpectedly several hedgehog-related genes.
A homozygous nhr-23 deletion allele was used to confirm the RNAi knockdown phenotypes and the changes in gene expression. Our results indicate that NHR-23 is a critical co-regulator of functionally linked genes involved in growth and molting and reveal evolutionary parallels among the ecdysozoa.