What EGL 9?
elegans EGL-9 is a bifunctional protein. In addition to its well-established role as the oxygen sensor that regulates HIF-1 protein levels, EGL-9 inhibits HIF-1 transcriptional activity via a pathway that has little or no requirement for hydroxylase activity or for the EGL-9 MYND domain.
What does EGL 1 do?
Similar to mammalian BH3-only proteins, EGL-1 triggers apoptosis induction predominantly by antagonizing the function of an anti-apoptotic member of the core BCL-2 family. The mechanism of action of BH3-only proteins is therefore conserved from worms to humans (Labi et al., 2006; Youle and Strasser, 2008).
What is the human version of CED 9 protein?
Bcl-2
The CED-9 protein belongs to the Bcl-2-like protein family. This refers to the homology between the ced-9 protein and the B-cell lymphoma proteins (Bcl) found in humans, specifically the Bcl-2 protein.
Why are there males in C. elegans?
Our findings suggest that males are maintained in C. elegans because of the particular genetic system inherited from its dioecious ancestor and because of nonadaptive spontaneous nondisjunction of sex chromosomes, which occurs during meiosis in the hermaphrodite.
How does CED 9 prevent apoptosis?
Mammalian B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibits apoptosis by preventing the release of the Apaf-1 (apoptotic protease-activating factor 1) activator cytochrome c from mitochondria. In contrast, C. elegans CED-9 is thought to inhibit CED-4 by sequestering it at the outer mitochondrial membrane by direct binding.
Do C. elegans eat E coli?
In a simplified laboratory environment, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is routinely fed E. coli. In the wild, worms are probably exposed to a variety of bacterial food.
How fast do C. elegans reproduce?
about 3 days
C. elegans is amenable to genetic crosses and produces a large number of progeny per adult. It reproduces with a life cycle of about 3 days under optimal conditions.