WormMine: ExpressionPattern Expr11706

• Primary Identifier: Expr11706
• Subcellular Localization: Temporally, SPE-44 labeling was first detectable in L3 male germlines and persisted through adulthood. Spatially, SPE-44 labeling was absent in the distal stem cell niche and mitotic zone, initiated in the early meiotic zone, colocalized with chromosomes in the pachytene region, and became non-chromosomal before disappearing altogether in karyosome stage nuclei. Closer examination revealed that SPE-44 localized along the length of most but not all of the pachytene chromosomes. The unpaired X chromosome was a likely candidate for SPE-44 exclusion: X is singularly devoid of sperm genes, and contains chromatin modifications consistent with transcriptional silencing. SPE-44 is localized to autosomes (which contain sperm genes) but not X (which does not), consistent with a role as an early acting and positive regulator of sperm gene transcription. SPE-44 exhibits the properties predicted for a regulator of sperm gene expression: the protein appears at the onset of sperm fate specification prior to the production of sperm proteins, is bound to the chromatin of committed and developing spermatocytes, and disappears in the karyosome stage coincident with the global cessation of transcription. Labeling of SPE-44 in hermaphrodite gonads likewise correlates with sperm production. The protein is first detectable in L3 at the time of sperm fate specification and in young L4 hermaphrodites undergoing spermatogenesis, but is absent in adult hermaphrodites that are undergoing oogenesis.

3 Anatomy Terms

Definition	Name	Synonym	Primary Identifier
cell line which early in development becomes differentiated from the remaining somatic cell line, and alone has the potential to undergo meiosis and form gametes.	germ line	germline	WBbt:0005784
Gonochoristic organism that can produce male gametes.	male	male organism	WBbt:0007850
Multi-cellular organism that can produce both male and female gametes.	hermaphrodite	hermaphroditic organism	WBbt:0007849

1 Genes

WormBase Gene ID	Gene Name	Sequence Name	Organism
WBGene00007732	spe-44	C25G4.4	Caenorhabditis elegans

2 Life Stages

Remark	Definition	Other Name	Public Name	Primary Identifier
	The third stage larva. At 25 Centigrade, it ranges 32.5-40 hours after fertilization, 18.5-26 hours after hatch.		L3 larva Ce	WBls:0000035
	The fourth stage larva. At 25 Centigrade, it ranges 40-49.5 hours after fertilization, 26-35.5 hours after hatch.		L4 larva Ce	WBls:0000038