Fig. 1: Phenotypic profiling of germline nucleic acid binding protein function.
From: A nucleic acid binding protein map of germline regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans
a Schematic of the C. elegans hermaphrodite germ line (left), identification of germline-expressed NBPs by RNA sequencing (center), and representative images and phenotypic readouts for high-content distal and proximal germline analysis (right). The distal germ line is labeled with DAPI (nuclei - blue), SYGL-1 (Notch target - magenta), and pH3 (M-phase chromosomes - green). PZ progenitor zone, TZ transition zone. The proximal germ line is marked with transgenic fluorophores: red = nuclei; green = plasma membrane. Scale bars = 20 μm. b–d Heatmaps showing phenotypes for GNBP silencing in the distal germ line (b ≥20% change compared to control), proximal germ line (c ≥50% of animals with the phenotype) and both distal and proximal germ line (d). b NBP family categories (colored boxes); PZ, TZ, SYGL-1+, pH3+, and mitotic index phenotypes shown as percentage change compared to control (blue = decrease; red = increase); germline expression of each NBP (gray bars = log2 CPM); mammalian ortholog associated with the reproduction GO term (blue boxes = no, black boxes = yes). NBP nucleic acid binding protein family. c Labeling as in b, except purple (≥50% of germ lines with the defect); blue (<50% of germ lines with the defect). Phenotypes shown: small germ line, rachis defect (narrow or wide rachis), meiotic defect (multinucleated cells, abnormal meiotic progression), apoptosis, oocyte defect (delayed expansion at the turn, difference in single-array oocyte number, difference in budded oocyte number, vesiculation), sperm defect (mislocated sperm, incomplete spermatogenesis). d Labeling as in b and c. Note: heatmaps do not include essential GNBPs identified in the screens—this is detailed in Fig. 4 and Supplementary Data 9. e NBP family distribution of the 875 C. elegans NBPs, 106 GNBPs regulating the distal germ line, 60 GNBPs regulating the proximal germ line, and 18 GNBPs regulating both distal and proximal germline development (Supplementary Data 4). NBP families shown: bZIP basic leucine zipper domain, HD homeodomain, HMG high mobility group box domain, MYB myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog, NHR nuclear hormone receptors, T-box, WH winged helix, ZF zinc finger. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
