lin-14 encodes a novel protein whose activity is required for specifying the division timings of a specific group of cells during postembryonic development; lin-14 loss-of-function mutations result in the premature appearance of later larval lineages, while gain-of-function mutations result in reiteration of L1 larval stages lineages; in addition, lin-14 acts as a positive regulator of AVM, PVM, and FLP touch cell development; in regulating developmental timing, lin-14 acts, in part, by positively regulating the activity of lin-28, which encodes a cytoplasmic protein also required for proper developmental timing; at hatching, LIN-14 is detected in the nuclei of blast cells and neurons; later, from the late L1 to adult stages, LIN-14 levels are negatively regulated by translational repression mediated by lin-4, a 22-nt small temporal RNA (stRNA) that is complementary to sequences in the lin-14 3' UTR.
Enables RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding activity and single-stranded DNA binding activity. Involved in several processes, including negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II; regulation of cell fate specification; and regulation of nematode larval development, heterochronic. Located in condensed nuclear chromosome. Expressed in several structures, including QL; QR; neurons; oocyte; and somatic nervous system.