Caenorhabditis elegans PTR/PTCHD PTR-18 promotes the clearance of extracellular hedgehog-related protein via endocytosis.

ABSTRACT: Spatiotemporal restriction of signaling plays a critical role in animal development and tissue homeostasis. All stem and progenitor cells in newly hatched C. elegans larvae are quiescent and capable of suspending their development until sufficient food is supplied. Here, we show that ptr-18, which encodes the evolutionarily conserved patched-related (PTR)/patched domain-containing (PTCHD) protein, temporally restricts the availability of extracellular hedgehog-related protein to establish the capacity of progenitor cells to maintain quiescence. We found that neural progenitor cells exit from quiescence in ptr-18 mutant larvae even when hatched under starved conditions. This unwanted reactivation depended on the activity of a specific set of hedgehog-related grl genes including grl-7. Unexp

SUBMITTER: Chiyoda H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8104386 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature