[C.elegansII] st364ts : progressive paralysis at 20C; mature adults very sluggish at 15C; number of thick and thin filaments variably reduced. Sterile at 25C. [RW]
unc-120 encodes a member of the MADS-box family of transcription factors that is most closely related to Drosophila blistered and the vertebrate serum response factors (SRFs); UNC-120 is required for locomotion and muscle development and for formation of the normal number of muscle A and I bands; UNC-120 is also required for maintaining wild-type expression levels of the muscle components actin and myosin; UNC-120 is first expressed in the early embryo in body wall muscle precursors and later is expressed in both body wall and vulval muscles.
Predicted to enable DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific and RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding activity. Acts upstream of or within positive regulation of muscle cell differentiation. Located in nucleus. Expressed in non-striated muscle and pharyngeal cell. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in cardiomyopathy; congestive heart failure; and lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Is an ortholog of human SRF (serum response factor).