Enables RNA polymerase II-specific DNA-binding transcription factor binding activity. Involved in negative regulation of dauer larval development; negative regulation of miRNA transcription; and regulation of development, heterochronic. Located in cytoplasm and nucleus. Is expressed in several structures, including H1L.app; H1R.app; H2L.ppp; hypodermal cell; and pharynx. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in advanced sleep phase syndrome; advanced sleep phase syndrome 1; alcohol dependence; cocaine dependence; and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Orthologous to human PER1 (period circadian regulator 1) and PER2 (period circadian regulator 2).
WB Description
lin-42 encodes three PAS domain-containing proteins orthologous to insect and vertebrate Period proteins that function in regulation of circadian rhythms; during larval development, lin-42 functions in the heterochronic pathway to regulate developmental switches that occurs in multiple tissues, including the hypodermis, gonad, sex myoblasts, and vulva; genetic analysis suggests that, in the hypodermis, lin-42 acts downstream of lin-46 and in the hypodermis and gonad, in parallel to daf-12 and upstream of lin-29; lin-42 mRNA levels oscillate during larval development with peak levels seen during intermolts and low levels seen during ecdysis and after the L4-to-adult molt; LIN-42 protein appears to be a widely expressed nuclear protein whose levels also fluctuate during larval stages, with peak protein typically seen towards the latter half of each larval stage in a cell type-specific manner, and then disappearing during each successive molt; in addition to three PAS domain-containing proteins, lin-42 also encodes a protein that lacks the PAS domain; transformation rescue experiments indicate that the LIN-42 isoform lacking the PAS domain is sufficient for rescue when present in multiple copies.