<i>C. elegans</i> CED-1 acts in neurons to modulate ciliary protein abundance and extracellular vesicle shedding.

ABSTRACT: The C. elegans receptor CED-1, along with orthologs mammalian MEGF10 and Drosophila Draper, plays a well-established and conserved role in phagocytosis by acting in engulfing cells.^1-7 Interestingly, CED-1 family members are also expressed in neurons, but their functions in these non-engulfing cells remain unclear.^6,8,9 Our study shows that CED-1 localizes to the dendrites and primary cilia of male tail RnB neurons, which mediate sensory perceptions during mating¹⁰ and generate extracellular vesicles (EVs) that transfer bioactive macromolecules for both intercellular and animal-to-animal communication.¹¹ Loss of ced-1 leads to a reduction in the shedding of EVs that contain the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel PKD-2

SUBMITTER: Ke T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12670632 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature