A multi-layered and dynamic apical extracellular matrix shapes the vulva lumen in Caenorhabditis elegans
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, United States
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, United States
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, United States
Abstract
Biological tubes must develop and maintain their proper diameter in order to transport materials efficiently. These tubes are molded and protected in part by apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) that line their lumens. Despite their importance, aECMs are difficult to image in vivo and therefore poorly understood. The C. elegans vulva has been a paradigm for understanding many aspects of organogenesis. Here we describe the vulva luminal matrix, which contains chondroitin proteoglycans, Zona Pellucida (ZP) domain proteins, and other glycoproteins and lipid transporters related to those in mammals. Confocal and transmission electron microscopy revealed, with unprecedented detail, a complex and dynamic aECM. Different matrix factors assemble on the apical surfaces of each vulva cell type, with clear distinctions seen between Ras-dependent (1˚) and Notch-dependent (2˚) cell types. Genetic perturbations suggest that chondroitin and other aECM factors together generate a structured scaffold that both expands and constricts lumen shape.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. Source data files have been provided for graphs in Figures 8, 8-1,10, 11.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM58540)
- Meera V Sundaram
American Cancer Society (RSG-12-149-01-DDC)
- Alison R Frand
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM125959)
- Meera V Sundaram
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32 GM008216)
- Jennifer D Cohen
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (T32 AR007465)
- Jennifer D Cohen
Office of the Director (OD010943)
- David H Hall
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R35GM136315)
- Meera V Sundaram
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Copyright
© 2020, Cohen et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Download links
A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
A multi-layered and dynamic apical extracellular matrix shapes the vulva lumen in Caenorhabditis elegans
eLife 9:e57874.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.57874
Further reading
-
- Developmental Biology
Human autonomic neuronal cell models are emerging as tools for modeling diseases such as cardiac arrhythmias. In this systematic review, we compared 33 articles applying 14 different protocols to generate sympathetic neurons and 3 different procedures to produce parasympathetic neurons. All methods involved the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells, and none employed permanent or reversible cell immortalization. Almost all protocols were reproduced in multiple pluripotent stem cell lines, and over half showed evidence of neural firing capacity. Common limitations in the field are a lack of three-dimensional models and models that include multiple cell types. Sympathetic neuron differentiation protocols largely mirrored embryonic development, with the notable absence of migration, axon extension, and target-specificity cues. Parasympathetic neuron differentiation protocols may be improved by including several embryonic cues promoting cell survival, cell maturation, or ion channel expression. Moreover, additional markers to define parasympathetic neurons in vitro may support the validity of these protocols. Nonetheless, four sympathetic neuron differentiation protocols and one parasympathetic neuron differentiation protocol reported more than two-thirds of cells expressing autonomic neuron markers. Altogether, these protocols promise to open new research avenues of human autonomic neuron development and disease modeling.
-
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
A study in mice reveals key interactions between proteins involved in fibroblast growth factor signaling and how they contribute to distinct stages of eye lens development.
