ceh-16 encodes a homeodomain protein orthologous to Drosophila and vertebrate Engrailed proteins involved in segment and appendage development; ceh-16 is an essential gene required for proper specification and differentiation of the lateral seam cells during embryonic development; in specifying seam cell fates, CEH-16 appears to act as a transcriptional regulator, repressing expression of the eff-1 gene required for cell fusion and inducing expression of seam cell-specific genes such as elt-5/GATA, nhr-73, and nhr-74; in addition, during post-embryonic development, ceh-16 functions to regulate the expansion division of the epidermal seam cells that occurs during the L2 larval stage; in regulating the expansion division, ceh-16 interacts genetically with apr-1, a member of the Wnt signaling pathway that encodes the C. elegans APC ortholog; a rescuing CEH-16::GFP fusion protein is first expressed in the early embryo in cells of the AB lineage; in later embryonic stages CEH-16::GFP is seen in all lateral seam cell nuclei as well as in some anterior neurons; during post-embryonic development, CEH-16::GFP is expressed in the DA1 and DD1 motor neurons.
Enables sequence-specific DNA binding activity. Involved in several processes, including embryonic body morphogenesis; epidermal cell fate specification; and regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Located in nucleus. Expressed in several structures, including ABarpa; AIZ; hyp5; retrovesicular ganglion neurons; and seam cell. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in Parkinson's disease and autistic disorder. Is an ortholog of human EN1 (engrailed homeobox 1) and EN2 (engrailed homeobox 2).
Map position created from combination of previous interpolated map position (based on known location of sequence) and allele information. Therefore this is not a genetic map position based on recombination frequencies or genetic experiments. This was done on advice of the CGC.