Gene Ontology annotation through association of InterPro records with GO terms
Manual transfer of experimentally-verified manual GO annotation data to orthologs by curator judgment of sequence similarity
Annotation inferences using phylogenetic trees
Gene Ontology annotation based on UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot Subcellular Location vocabulary mapping, accompanied by conservative changes to GO terms applied by UniProt
Automatic assignment of GO terms using logical inference, based on on inter-ontology links
Electronic Gene Ontology annotations created by ARBA machine learning models
MEX-5 and MEX-6 function to establish soma/germline asymmetry in early C. elegans embryos.
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mex-5 and mex-6 are two nearly identical genes that link PAR cortical asymmetry to downstream protein asymmetries.
"We provide evidence that two nearly identical genes, mex-5 and mex-6, link PAR asymmetry to those subsequent protein asymmetries."
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The paralogs act downstream of the PAR network to pattern expression of nonlocalized maternal mRNAs.
"This network is required for subsequent asymmetries in the expression patterns of several proteins that are encoded by nonlocalized, maternally expressed mRNAs."
Polarization of the C. elegans zygote proceeds via distinct establishment and maintenance phases.
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Zygote polarization along the A-P axis depends on cortical PAR and cytoplasmic MEX-5/6 proteins.
"Polarization of the C. elegans zygote along the anterior-posterior axis depends on cortically enriched (PAR) and cytoplasmic (MEX-5/6) proteins"
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MEX-5 and MEX-6 (CCCH finger proteins) act with PAR-1 in the establishment phase in a feedback loop regulating the posterior domain.
"The kinase PAR-1 and the CCCH finger proteins MEX-5 and MEX-6 also function during the establishment phase in a feedback loop to regulate growth of the posterior domain."
Molecular basis of RNA recognition by the embryonic polarity determinant MEX-5.
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MEX-5 (the near-identical paralog of MEX-6) binds RNA with high affinity but low sequence specificity, recognizing tracts of six or more uridines.
"The minimal binding site is a tract of six or more uridines within a 9-13-nucleotide window."
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MEX-5 has lower discrimination than mammalian TTP; changing a discriminator residue in each finger changes specificity. This does not mean MEX-5 or MEX-6 fails to bind AU-rich elements.
"We show that mutation of a single amino acid in each MEX-5 zinc finger confers tristetraprolin-like specificity to this protein."
Polo kinases regulate C. elegans embryonic polarity via binding to DYRK2-primed MEX-5 and MEX-6.
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Polo kinases (PLK-1, PLK-2) bind MEX-5 and MEX-6 via their polo-box domains and regulate their activity.
"We show that polo kinases, via their polo box domains, bind to and regulate the activity of two key polarity proteins, MEX-5 and MEX-6."
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Asymmetric localization of the polo kinases depends on MEX-5 and MEX-6.
"This asymmetric localization of polo kinases depends on MEX-5 and MEX-6, as well as genes regulating MEX-5 and MEX-6 asymmetry."
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MBK-2/DYRK2 primes the polo-docking threonine (T186 in MEX-5) for polo kinase-dependent phosphorylation during the oocyte-to-embryo transition.
"We also show that MBK-2, a developmentally regulated DYRK2 kinase activated at meiosis II, primes T(186) for subsequent polo kinase-dependent phosphorylation."
Primary evidence checks for MEX-5 and MEX-6 (2026-09-20)
mex-6 PAINT lineage check (2026-09-20)
Falcon deep research report on MEX-6 (C. elegans)
Regulation of maternal Wnt mRNA translation in C. elegans embryos.
Processing bodies and germ granules are distinct RNA granules that interact in C. elegans embryos.