Niche Cell Wrapping Ensures Primordial Germ Cell Quiescence and Protection from Intercellular Cannibalism.

ABSTRACT: Niche cells often wrap membrane extensions around stem cell surfaces. Niche wrapping has been proposed to retain stem cells in defined positions and affect signaling [e.g., 1, 2]. To test these hypotheses and uncover additional functions of wrapping, we investigated niche wrapping of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the C. elegans embryonic gonad primordium. The gonad primordium contains two PGCs that are wrapped individually by two somatic gonad precursor cells (SGPs). SGPs are known to promote PGC survival during embryogenesis and exit from quiescence after hatching, although how they do so is unknown [3]. Here, we identify two distinct functions of SGP wrapping that are critical for PGC quiescence and survival. First, niche cell wrapping templates a laminin-based basement membrane around

SUBMITTER: McIntyre DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7044025 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature