Enables RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding activity. Involved in negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II; nematode male tail tip morphogenesis; and positive regulation of nematode male tail tip morphogenesis. Acts upstream of or within positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Predicted to be active in nucleus. Is expressed in several structures, including SMDVL; head neurons; intestine; ray neurons; and tail.
WB Description
mab-3 encodes a DM (Doublesex and MAB-3) domain-containing protein; during development, MAB-3 plays a role in several aspects of male development; specifically, genetic studies indicate that MAB-3 likely augments the functions of the MAB-5 and EGL-5 homeodomain proteins by acting as a transcriptional repressor of ref-1, which encodes a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein that negatively regulates expression of the LIN-32 proneural bHLH protein required for male sensory ray development; in addition, MAB-3 regulates yolk protein expression in the intestine; mab-3 expression in the intestine is negatively regulated by TRA-1A, the terminal protein in the sex determination pathway; a mab-3::GFP promoter fusion is expressed in neurons and hypodermal cells as well as in the intestine; expression of the male-specific form of Drosophila Doublesex can rescue mab-3-related defects in C. elegans.