Epidermal Remodeling in Caenorhabditis elegans Dauers Requires the Nidogen Domain Protein DEX-1.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic plasticity is a critical component of an organism's ability to thrive in a changing environment. The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans adapts to unfavorable environmental conditions by pausing reproductive development and entering a stress-resistant larval stage known as dauer. The transition into dauer is marked by vast morphological changes, including remodeling of epidermis, neurons, and muscle. Although many of these dauer-specific traits have been described, the molecular basis of dauer-specific remodeling is still poorly understood. Here we show that the nidogen domain-containing protein DEX-1 facilitates stage-specific tissue remodeling during dauer morphogenesis. DEX-1 was previously shown to regulate sensory dendrite formation during embryogenesis. We f

SUBMITTER: Flatt KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6325711 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature