The Pax transcription factor EGL-38 links EGFR signaling to assembly of a cell type-specific apical extracellular matrix in the Caenorhabditis elegans vulva.

ABSTRACT: The surface of epithelial tissues is covered by an apical extracellular matrix (aECM). The aECMs of different tissues have distinct compositions to serve distinct functions, yet how a particular cell type assembles the proper aECM is not well understood. We used the cell type-specific matrix of the C. elegans vulva to investigate the connection between cell identity and matrix assembly. The vulva is an epithelial tube composed of seven cell types descending from EGFR/Ras-dependent (1°) and Notch-dependent (2°) lineages. Vulva aECM contains multiple Zona Pellucida domain (ZP) proteins, which are a common component of aECMs across life. ZP proteins LET-653 and CUTL-18 assemble on 1° cell surfaces, while NOAH-1 assembles on a subset of 2° surfaces. All three ZP genes are broadly transcribed,

SUBMITTER: Schmidt HF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11631643 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature