SG ID

SG00000037 

UniProt Accession

G5EDX7_CAEEL;G5EDX7;  

Theoretical PI

7.66  

Molecular Weight

29462 Da  

Genbank Nucleotide ID

AJ011777; Z81033;  

Genbank Protein ID

CAA09770.1; CAB02725.1; 

Gene Name

fog-3 

Gene Synonyms/Alias

ORFNames=CELE_C03C11.2 

Protein Name

 

Protein Synonyms/Alias

SubName: FOG-3 proteinSubName: Protein FOG-3 

Caenorhabditis elegans 

6239 

Temporarily unavailable 

The information of related literatures

1. P. J. Chen, S. Cho, S. W. Jin and R. E. Ellis (2001) Specification of germ cell fates by FOG-3 has been conserved during nematode evolution. Genetics 158(4): 1513-25. 

Abstract
Rapid changes in sexual traits are ubiquitous in evolution. To analyze this phenomenon, we are studying species of the genus Caenorhabditis. These animals use one of two different mating systems-male/hermaphroditic, like the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, or male/female, like C. remanei. Since hermaphrodites are essentially females that produce sperm for self-fertilization, elucidating the control of cell fate in the germ line in each species could provide the key to understanding how these mating systems evolved. In C. elegans, FOG-3 is required to specify that germ cells become sperm. Thus, we cloned its homologs from both C. remanei and C. briggsae. Each species produces a single homolog of FOG-3, and RNA-mediated interference indicates that FOG-3 functions in each species to specify that germ cells develop as sperm rather than as oocytes. What factors account for the different mating systems? Northern analyses and RT-PCR data reveal that the expression of fog-3 is always correlated with spermatogenesis. Since the promoters for all three fog-3 genes contain binding sites for the transcription factor TRA-1A and are capable of driving expression of fog-3 in C. elegans hermaphrodites, we propose that alterations in the upstream sex-determination pathway, perhaps acting through TRA-1A, allow spermatogenesis in C. elegans and C. briggsae XX larvae but not in C. remanei. PMID: [11514443] 

2. P. Chen and R. E. Ellis (2000) TRA-1A regulates transcription of fog-3, which controls germ cell fate in C. elegans. Development 127(14): 3119-29. 

Abstract
In C. elegans, the zinc-finger protein TRA-1A is thought to be the final arbiter of somatic sexual identity. We show that fog-3, which is required for germ cells to become sperm rather than oocytes, is a target of TRA-1A. First, northern analyses and RT-PCR experiments indicate that expression of fog-3 is controlled by tra-1. Second, studies of double mutants show that this control could be direct. Third, the fog-3 promoter contains multiple sites that bind TRA-1A in gel shift assays, and mutations in these sites alter activity of fog-3 in vivo. These results establish fog-3 as one of the first known targets of transcriptional regulation by TRA-1A. Furthermore, they show that tra-1 controls a terminal regulator of sexual fate in germ cells, just as it is thought to do in the soma. PMID: [10862749] 

3. P. J. Chen, A. Singal, J. Kimble and R. E. Ellis (2000) A novel member of the tob family of proteins controls sexual fate in Caenorhabditis elegans germ cells. Dev Biol 217(1): 77-90. 

Abstract
Although many cell fates differ between males and females, probably the most ancient type of sexual dimorphism is the decision of germ cells to develop as sperm or as oocytes. Genetic analyses of Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that fog-3 might directly control this decision. We used transformation rescue to clone the fog-3 gene and show that it produces a single major transcript of approximately 1150 nucleotides. This transcript is predicted to encode a protein of 263 amino acids. One mutation causes a frame shift at the sixth codon and is thus likely to define the null phenotype of fog-3. Although the carboxyl-terminus of FOG-3 is novel, the amino-terminal domain is similar to that of the Tob, BTG1, and BTG2 proteins from vertebrates, which might suppress proliferation or promote differentiation. This domain is essential for FOG-3 activity, since six of eight missense mutations map to this region. Furthermore, this domain of BTG1 and BTG2 interacts with a transcriptional regulatory complex that has been conserved in all eukaryotes. Thus, one possibility is that FOG-3 controls transcription of genes required for germ cells to initiate spermatogenesis rather than oogenesis. This model implies that FOG-3 is required throughout an animal's life for germ cells to initiate spermatogenesis. We used RNA-mediated interference to demonstrate that fog-3 is indeed required continuously, which is consistent with this model. PMID: [10625537] 

4. M. H. Lee, K. Won Kim, C. T. Morgan, D. E. Morgan and J. Kimble (2011) Phosphorylation state of a Tob/BTG protein, FOG-3, regulates initiation and maintenance of the Caenorhabditis elegans sperm fate program. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108(22): 9125-30. 

Abstract
FOG-3, the single Caenorhabditis elegans Tob/BTG protein, directs germ cells to adopt the sperm fate at the expense of oogenesis. Importantly, FOG-3 activity must be maintained for the continued production of sperm that is typical of the male sex. Vertebrate Tob proteins have antiproliferative activity and ERK phosphorylation of Tob proteins has been proposed to abrogate "antiproliferative" activity. Here we investigate FOG-3 phosphorylation and its effect on sperm fate specification. We found both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of FOG-3 in nematodes. We then interrogated the role of FOG-3 phosphorylation in sperm fate specification. Specifically, we assayed FOG-3 transgenes for rescue of a fog-3 null mutant. Wild-type FOG-3 rescued both initiation and maintenance of sperm fate specification. A FOG-3 mutant with its four consensus ERK phosphorylation sites substituted to alanines, called FOG-3(4A), rescued partially PMID: [21571637] 

Figures for illustrating the function of this protein/gene

Function

 

Subcellular Location

 

Tissue Specificity

 

Gene Ontology

GO ID

GO term

Evidence

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Interpro

IPR002087;    Anti_prolifrtn.
IPR015676;    Tob.
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Pfam

PF07742;    BTG;    1.
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SMART

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PROSITE

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PRINTS

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Created Date

18-Oct-2012 

Record Type

Experiment identified 

Protein sequence Annotation

Nucleotide Sequence

Length: 1008 bp   Go to nucleotide: FASTA

Protein Sequence

Length: 263 bp   Go to amino acid: FASTA

The verified Protein-Protein interaction information

UniProt

Gene Symbol

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Other Protein-Protein interaction resources

String database  

UniProt

Gene Symbol

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