fozi-1 encodes an unusual zinc-finger protein that has two C2H2 zinc-finger motifs that probably mediate transcriptional regulation along with a glutamine-rich region and a vestigial formin homology 2 (FH2) domain that has lost its ability to polymerize actin but retained its ability to dimerize; during postembryonic development, FOZI-1 acts with MAB-5 and redundantly with HLH-1/CeMyoD to autonomously specify coelomocyte and striated body wall muscle fates; in addition, fozi-1 is required for the fully asymmetrical phenotypic distinction of ASER cells from ASEL cells; fozi-1 mutant animals variably express flp-4, gcy-6, gcy-7 and lim-6, genes normally restricted to ASEL, in ASER as well, while maintaining expression of ASER-specific genes; ectopic FOZI-1 expression in ASEL can suppress lim-6 expression; fozi-1 genetically interacts with several regulatory proteins and miRNAs; FOZI-1 is a nuclear protein that is expressed in neuronal lineages beginning at the 2-fold stage of embryogenesis, and then in neurons and cells derived from the M mesoblast during larval development; expression in the M lineage corresponds to cells that will generate coelomocytes and body wall muscles and is not seen in the sex myoblasts (SMs); FOZI-1 expression in the M lineage requires the Hox co-factor CEH-20.
Predicted to enable actin filament binding activity. Involved in mesodermal cell fate specification and positive regulation of mesodermal cell fate specification. Located in nucleus. Expressed in several structures, including M.dla; amphid neurons; body wall muscle cell from M lineage; coelomocyte; and somatic nervous system. Is an ortholog of human FMNL1 (formin like 1).
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.