NWFIII - Biologie und Vorklinische Medizin

Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schmitt

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Sinorhizobium meliloti

Volvox carteri

Genetics of Germ-Soma Differentiation in Volvox

Isolated Gonidia and Somatic Cells of Volvox carteri

Volvox carteri  is a spherical green alga with a complete division of labor  between ~2000 somatic cells and 16 asexual reproductive cells (gonidia). It provides an attractive system for studying  how a molecular-genetic program for cell-autonomous differentiation is encoded within the genome. Three genes have been identified a key players in the in germ-soma differentiation: a set of gls genes that act in the embryo to shift cell-division planes, resulting in asymmetric divisions that set apart the large-small sister cell pairs; a set of lag genes that act in the large gonidial initials to prevent somatic differentiation; and the regA gene, which acts in the small somatic initials to prevent reproductive development. Somatic-cell-specific transcription of regA is controlled by intronic enhancer and silencer elements and  the translation of regA  is modulated by ribosome shunting.

Literature
 

S. Prochnik, J. Umen ... R. Schmitt, D. Kirk & D.S. Rokhsar (2010) Science 329, 223-229.

P. Babinger, R. Völkl, I. Cakstina, A. Maftei & R. Schmitt (2007) Plant Mol.Biol. 63, 325-336.

K.Babinger, A. Hallmann & R. Schmitt (2006) Development 133, 4045-4051.

T. Jakobiak, W. Mages, B. Scharf, P. Babinger , K. Stark & R. Schmitt (2004) Protist 155, 381-393.

R. Schmitt (2003) Curr.Opininion Microbiol. 6, 608-613 (Review).

R. Schmitt & M. Sumper (2003) Nature 424, 499-500.

K. Stark & R. Schmitt (2002) Protist 153, 99-107 (Review).

K. Stark, D. Kirk & R. Schmitt (2001) Genes Dev. 15, 1449-1460.

P. Babinger, I. Kobl, W. Mages & R. Schmitt (2001) Nuc. Acids Res. 29, 1261-1271.

M. Meissner, K. Stark, B. Cresnar, D.L. Kirk & R. Schmitt (1999) Curr.Genet. 36, 363-370.

M.M. Kirk, K. Stark, S.M.Miller, W. Müller, B.E. Taillon, H. Gruber, R. Schmitt & D.L. Kirk (1999)
Development 126, 639-647.

I. Kobl, D.L. Kirk & R. Schmitt (1998) J.Phycol. 34,981-988.

H. Gruber, S.H. Kirzinger & R. Schmitt (1996) Plant Mol.Biol. 31, 1-12.

S. Fabry, R. Steigerwald, C. Bernklau, W. Dietmaier & R. Schmitt (1995) Mol.gen.Genet. 247, 265-274.

B. Schiedlmeier, R. Schmitt, W. Müller, M.M. Kirk, H. Gruber, W. Mages & D.L. Kirk (1994)
Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91,5080-5084.

S.M. Miller, R. Schmitt & D.L. Kirk(1993) The Plant Cell 15, 1125-1138.

H. Gruber, S. Goetinck, D. Kirk & R. Schmitt (1992) Gene 118, 153-162.

H. Rausch, N. Larsen & R. Schmitt (1989) J. Mol. Evol. 29, 255 - 265.



Juli 2010