MOLECULAR ANALYSES OF THE TPA-1 GENE AND ITS ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR OF CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS

Protein kinase C (PKC) is now known to be a key enzyme in intracellula r signaling pathways which mediate various physiological functions in diverse eukaryotic organisms from yeast to humans. The tpa-1 gene was identified as a target of tumor-promoting phorbol esters; which cause developmental and behavioral defects in the nematode Caenorhabditis el egans (C. elegans), Molecular cloning of the tpa-l gene revealed that it encodes two PKC isoforms, TPA-1A and TPA-1B. Further molecular gene tic analysis showed that the tpa-l gene product is necessary for C. el egans to be sensitive to phorbol esters. This report reviews the ident ification and molecular analyses of the tpa-l gene of C. elegans.