Article Abstract:
Caulobacter crescentus is a differentiating bacterium in which FtsZ, the cell-division-initiation protein, is present in only one of the two cell types. There are stalked cells that start a new cycle of DNA replication right after cell division. These contain FtsZ. The progeny swarmer cells cannot start DNA replication and have no FtsZ. The overall cell cycle regulator CtrA is part of the cell-cycle-control mechanism of ftsZ transcription in which CtrA binds to a site that overlaps the ftsZ transcription initiation site. Because cell division is bound to transcription/proteolysis, FtsZ goes only to the cell that is to start DNA replication right after division.
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Article Abstract:
SCL/Tal-1 is a transcription factor needed for hematopoietic stem cell differentiation. SCL shows up in endothelial and neural progenitors, but SCL function in those cells is not known. SCL expression in zebrafish mutant cloche (clo) is almost nonexistent in vascular and hematopoietic tissues. It has been shown that clo does not differentiate angioblasts and blood. Genetic analysis shows that the clo mutation and the SCL locus are not linked. Forced expression of SCL in clo embryos gets rid of vascular and blood defects. That indicates that SCL acts downstream to call for vascular/hematopoietic differentiation.
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Article Abstract:
In Drosophila midgut development, secreted molecules of Wingless (Wg) and Decapentaplegic (Dpp) set up unique transcription regulation in target cells to specify resultant cell types. A novel homeobox gene, defective proventriculus (dve), has been identified. It is necessary for midgut specification under control of Dpp and Wg and mediates the Dpp signal to provide for target cell functional specificity.
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