Abstract
TOTIPOTENT germline blastomeres in Caenorhabditis elegans contain, but do not respond to, factors that promote somatic differentiation in other embryonic cells1,2. Mutations in the maternal gene pie-1 result in the germline blastomeres adopting somatic cell fates3. Here we show that pie-1 encodes a nuclear protein, PIE-1, that is localized to the germline blastomeres throughout early development. During division of each germline blastomere, PIE-1 initially associates with both centrosomes of the mitotic spindle. However, PIE-1 rapidly disappears from the centrosome destined for the somatic daughter, and persists in the centrosome of the daughter that becomes the next germline blastomere. The PIE-1 protein contains potential zinc-finger motifs also found in the mammalian growth-factor response protein TIS-11/NUP475 (refs 4–7). The localization and genetic properties of pie-1provide an example of a repressor-based mechanism for preserving pluripotency within a stem cell lineage.
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Mello, C., Schubert, C., Draper, B. et al. The PIE-1 protein and germline specification in C. elegans embryos. Nature 382, 710–712 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/382710a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/382710a0
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