{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T12:07:50Z","timestamp":1791115670635,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"The Company of Biologists","issue":"21","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2011,11,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Morphogenesis represents a phase of development during which cell fates are executed. The conserved hox genes are key cell fate determinants during metazoan development, but their role in controlling organ morphogenesis is less understood. Here, we show that the C. elegans hox gene lin-39 regulates epidermal morphogenesis via its novel target, the essential zinc finger protein VAB-23. During the development of the vulva, the egg-laying organ of the hermaphrodite, the EGFR\/RAS\/MAPK signaling pathway activates, together with LIN-39 HOX, the expression of VAB-23 in the primary cell lineage to control the formation of the seven vulval toroids. VAB-23 regulates the formation of homotypic contacts between contralateral pairs of cells with the same sub-fates at the vulval midline by inducing smp-1 (semaphorin) transcription. In addition, VAB-23 prevents ectopic vulval cell fusions by negatively regulating expression of the fusogen eff-1. Thus, LIN-39 and the EGFR\/RAS\/MAPK signaling pathway, which specify cell fates earlier during vulval induction, continue to act during the subsequent phase of cell fate execution by regulating various aspects of epidermal morphogenesis. Vulval cell fate specification and execution are, therefore, tightly coupled processes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1242\/dev.071951","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,11]],"date-time":"2011-10-11T07:38:34Z","timestamp":1318318714000},"page":"4649-4660","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":24,"title":["LIN-39 and the EGFR\/RAS\/MAPK pathway regulate\n                    <i>C. elegans<\/i>\n                    vulval morphogenesis via the VAB-23 zinc finger protein"],"prefix":"10.1242","volume":"138","author":[{"given":"Mark W.","family":"Pellegrino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Melbourne, Department of Veterinary Science, Werribee, Victoria, Australia 3030."},{"name":"University of Z\u00fcrich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarfarazhussain","family":"Farooqui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Z\u00fcrich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland."},{"name":"PhD Program in Molecular Life Sciences UNI ETH Z\u00fcrich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erika","family":"Fr\u00f6hli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Z\u00fcrich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hubert","family":"Rehrauer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Functional Genomics Center, UNI ETH Z\u00fcrich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"St\u00e9phanie","family":"Kaeser-Pebernard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Chemin du Mus\u00e9e 10, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fritz","family":"M\u00fcller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Chemin du Mus\u00e9e 10, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robin B.","family":"Gasser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Melbourne, Department of Veterinary Science, Werribee, Victoria, Australia 3030."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alex","family":"Hajnal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Z\u00fcrich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"237","reference":[{"key":"2021042607054384500_R1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1093\/genetics\/128.2.251","article-title":"Multiple functions of let-23, a Caenorhabditis elegans receptor tyrosine kinase gene required for vulval induction","volume":"128","author":"Aroian","year":"1991","journal-title":"Genetics"},{"key":"2021042607054384500_R2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1038\/348503a0","article-title":"Caenorhabditis elegans ras gene let-60 acts as a switch in the pathway of vulval induction","volume":"348","author":"Beitel","year":"1990","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2021042607054384500_R3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1055","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1055642","article-title":"Notch inhibition of RAS signaling through MAP kinase phosphatase LIP-1 during C. elegans vulval development","volume":"291","author":"Berset","year":"2001","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"2021042607054384500_R4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1006\/dbio.2000.0113","article-title":"Zonula adherens formation in Caenorhabditis elegans requires dlg-1, the homologue of the Drosophila gene discs large","volume":"230","author":"Bossinger","year":"2001","journal-title":"Dev. 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