Abstract
Sensory organs are often composed of neuronal sensory endings accommodated in a lumen formed by ensheathing epithelia or glia. Here we show that lumen formation in the C. elegans amphid sensory organ requires the gene daf-6. daf-6 encodes a Patched-related protein that localizes to the luminal surfaces of the amphid channel and other C. elegans tubes. While daf-6 mutants display only amphid lumen defects, animals defective for both daf-6 and the Dispatched gene che-14 exhibit defects in all tubular structures that express daf-6. Furthermore, DAF-6 protein is mislocalized, and lumen morphogenesis is abnormal, in mutants with defective sensory neuron endings. We propose that amphid lumen morphogenesis is coordinated by neuron-derived cues and a DAF-6/CHE-14 system that regulates vesicle dynamics during tubulogenesis.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Animals, Genetically Modified
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Caenorhabditis elegans
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics*
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism
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Fluorescent Antibody Technique / methods
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / physiology*
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Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
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Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
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Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / methods
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Molecular Biology / methods
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Mutagenesis / physiology
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Mutation / physiology
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Phenotype
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins
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Sense Organs / embryology*
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Sense Organs / metabolism*
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Sense Organs / ultrastructure
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Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Subcellular Fractions / metabolism
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Transformation, Genetic / physiology
Substances
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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DAF-6 protein, C elegans
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Heat-Shock Proteins
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins
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Green Fluorescent Proteins