smp-1 encodes a semaphorin; smp-1 activity is required for vulval morphogenesis, specifically for the movement of homologous pairs of vulval cells towards the vulval midline prior to cell fusion; smp-1 expression in vulval cells is regulated by the VAB-23 zinc-finger domain protein which binds smp-1 regulatory sequence in vivo.
Enables semaphorin receptor binding activity. Involved in nematode male tail mating organ morphogenesis. Predicted to be located in membrane. Expressed in several structures, including hermaphrodite distal tip cell; non-striated muscle; ray; somatic nervous system; and vulval cell. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism 16 with or without anosmia; progressive myoclonus epilepsy; and rheumatoid arthritis. Is an ortholog of several human genes including SEMA3B (semaphorin 3B); SEMA3C (semaphorin 3C); and SEMA6C (semaphorin 6C).
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.