[Singh N, Han M] all alleles are 100% Egl and defective in vulval cell differentiation
[C.elegansII] ku9 : suppressor of let-60(gf); pleiotropic effects, some gonadal abnormality, vulval defects, larval lethality, Egl, male tail defects; ku9/Df stronger Vul phenotype. OA7: ku9, ku31, ku42, ku115amb (all similar to ku9; all nonsense mutations), ku60 (Egl non-Vul) etc. Cloned: 5kb transcript, enriched in embryo and early larva; encodes predicted 1586 aa novel protein. sur-2:lacZ expressed in VPC during vulval differentiation. [Singh and Han 1995; MH]
sur-2 encodes a novel protein that is orthologous to the Drosophila and human MED23 mediator subunits; sur-2 is a downstream component of the let-60-ras-mediated signaling pathway and likely functions by regulating transcription of genes essential for a number of developmental processes, including vulval development, larval development, and formation of the gonad and male tail; sur-2 is expressed in all Pn.p cells from the mid-L1 through the L3 larval stage, and then in the vulval precursor cells as they divide, with strongest staining observed in the primary and secondary lineages; sur-2 is also expressed in embryonic and other larval stage cells, including the distal tip cells of the gonad.
Involved in defense response to Gram-positive bacterium; regulation of protein catabolic process; and regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Part of mediator complex. Expressed in several structures, including P1.p; P2.p; P5.ppp; P7.paa; and vulval cell. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in autosomal recessive intellectual developmental disorder 18. Is an ortholog of human MED23 (mediator complex subunit 23).