Four maternal-effect sterile genes, @entity67938 , @entity69535 , @entity50024 , and @entity69536 , are essential for germline development in @entity2199 . Homozygous mes progeny from heterozygous mothers are themselves fertile but produce sterile progeny with underproliferated and degenerated germlines. All four mes genes encode chromatin-associated proteins, two of which resemble known regulators of gene expression. To identify additional components in the MES pathway, we used RNA-mediated interference (RNAi) to test candidate genes for enhancement of the Mes mutant phenotype. Enhancement in this assay was induction of sterility a generation earlier, in the otherwise fertile homozygous progeny of heterozygous mothers, which previous results had suggested represent a sensitized genetic background. We tested seven genes predicted to encode regulators of chromatin organization for RNAi-induced enhancement of @entity69535 sterility and identified one enhancer, called @entity69537 after the SET domain encoded by the gene. Depletion of @entity69537 also enhances the sterile phenotype of @entity50024 but not of @entity67938 or @entity69536 . @entity69537 encodes two alternatively spliced transcripts, @entity69537 (l) and @entity69537 (s), both of which are enriched in the germline of adults. In the adult germline, @entity69537 (L) protein is localized in mitotic and mid-late-stage meiotic nuclei but is undetectable in early pachytene nuclei. @entity69537 (L) protein is localized in all nuclei of embryos. The localization of @entity69537 (L) does not depend on any of the four MES proteins, and none of the MES proteins depend on @entity69537 for their normal localization. Our results suggest that @entity69537 participates along with the MES proteins in promoting normal germline development.

Depletion of a novel SET-domain protein enhances the sterility of @entity69535 and @entity50024 mutants of XXXX .

@entity69535 :: ('172123(Tax:6239)', 'Gene') :: ['mes-3'] @entity2199 :: ('6239', 'Species') :: ['Caenorhabditis elegans'] @entity69536 :: ('177657(Tax:6239)', 'Gene') :: ['mes-6'] @entity69537 :: ('175662(Tax:6239)', 'Gene') :: ['SET-2', 'set-2'] @entity50024 :: ('179824(Tax:6239)', 'Gene') :: ['mes-4'] @entity67938 :: ('175096(Tax:6239)', 'Gene') :: ['mes-2']
@entity2199 :: (6239,Species) :: ['Caenorhabditis elegans']
