Polarized epidermal growth factor secretion ensures robust vulval cell fate specification in Caenorhabditis elegans

ABSTRACT The anchor cell (AC) in C. elegans secretes an epidermal growth factor (EGF) homolog that induces adjacent vulval precursor cells (VPCs) to differentiate. The EGF receptor in the nearest VPC sequesters the limiting EGF amounts released by the AC to prevent EGF from spreading to distal VPCs. Here, we show that not only EGFR localization in the VPCs but also EGF polarity in the AC is necessary for robust fate specification. The AC secretes EGF in a directional manner towards the nearest VPC. Loss of AC polarity causes signal spreading and, when combined with MAPK pathway hyperactivation, the ectopic induction of distal VPCs. In a screen for genes preventing distal VPC induction, we identified sra-9 and nlp-26 as genes specifically required for polarized EGF secretion. sra-9(lf) and nlp-26(lf) mutants exhibit errors in vulval fate specification, reduced precision in VPC to AC alignment and increased variability in MAPK activation. sra-9 encodes a seven-pass transmembrane receptor acting in the AC and nlp-26 a neuropeptide-like protein expressed in the VPCs. SRA-9 and NLP-26 may transduce a feedback signal to channel EGF secretion towards the nearest VPC. Summary: The sra-9 and nlp-26 genes are required for the polarized and directional secretion of the epidermal growth factor during vulval development in C. elegans.

• Publication year

  2020

• Venue

  Development

• Publication date

  2020-01-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1242/dev.175760PMID 32439759PMCID 7286359
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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