Reciprocal EGFR signaling in the anchor cell ensures precise inter-organ connection during Caenorhabditis elegans vulval morphogenesis.

ABSTRACT: During Caenorhabditis elegans vulval development, the uterine anchor cell (AC) first secretes an epidermal growth factor (EGF) to specify the vulval cell fates and then invades the underlying vulval epithelium. By doing so, the AC establishes direct contact with the invaginating primary vulF cells and attaches the developing uterus to the vulva. The signals involved and the exact sequence of events joining these two organs are not fully understood. Using a conditional let-23 EGF receptor (EGFR) allele along with novel microfluidic short- and long-term imaging methods, we discovered a specific function of the EGFR in the AC during vulval lumen morphogenesis. Tissue-specific inactivation of let-23 in the AC resulted in imprecise alignment of the AC with the primary vulval cells, delayed AC i

SUBMITTER: Spiri S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8783044 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature