Mediator-29 Limits Caenorhabditis elegans Fecundity

Abstract

Mediator is an evolutionarily conserved multiprotein complex that acts as a critical coregulator of RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription. While core Mediator components are broadly required for transcription, others govern specific regulatory modules and signalling pathways. Here, we investigated the function of MDT-29/MED29 in the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line. We found that endogenously-tagged MDT-29 is ubiquitously expressed and concentrated in discrete foci within germ cell nuclei. Functionally, depleting MDT-29 in the germ line during larval development boosted fecundity. We determined that the increase in progeny production was likely caused by a combination of an expanded germline stem cell pool and decreased germ cell apoptosis. Thus, MDT-29 may act to optimize specific gene expression programs to control distinct germ cell behaviors, providing flexibility to progeny production in certain environments.

Caenorhabditis elegans, Germ line, proliferation, apoptosis, Mediator complex, RNA interference, auxin-inducible degradation, WormBase

Accepted manuscripts

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Author notes

Qi Fan and Christopher Tran contributed equally to this work.