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.
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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
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