THE CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS GENE LIN-26 IS REQUIRED TO SPECIFY THE FATES OF HYPODERMAL CELLS AND ENCODES A PRESUMPTIVE ZINC-FINGER TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR

The mutation lin-26(n156) prevents vulva formation in C. elegans by tr ansforming the vulval precursor cells into neurons or neuroblasts. We have isolated and characterized three new lin-26 alleles, which result in embryonic lethality. These mutations cause a few other hypodermal cells to express a neural fate and most hypodermal cells to degenerate . lin-26 encodes a presumptive zinc-finger transcription factor. Our d ata indicate that lin-26 is required for cells to acquire the hypoderm al fate.