Transcription regulatory networks in Caenorhabditis elegans

dac-1 encodes the C. elegans ortholog of Dachshund, a transcriptional regulator first described in Drosophila that is a member of the SKI/SNO/DAC family of proteins; dac-1 is expressed at higher levels in the AFD thermosensory neurons as compared to the AWB olfactory neurons and likely plays a role in thermosensory behavior as on thermal gradients dac-1 mutants fail to suppress cryophilic drive but continue to track isotherms at the cultivation temperature; a DAC-1::GFP fusion protein is nuclear and expressed strongly in the AFD thermosensory neurons, but weakly in the AWC, ASE, and ASK chemosensory neurons; expression is also seen in alae and additional, unidentified tail cells; dac-1 expression in AFD is positively regulated by the TTX-1 OTX-like homeodomain protein.

rps-29 encodes a small ribosomal subunit S29 protein; by homology, RPS-29 is predicted to function in protein biosynthesis; in C. elegans, RPS-29 activity is broadly required for embryonic and germline development, normal body coloration and morphology, normal postembryonic growth rates, and the overall health of the animal.