PgmNr W4088: in vivo mechanisms of epithelial junction formation.

Authors:
Jose Montoyo-Rosario; Jeremy Nance


Institutes
NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY.


Keyword: Cell junctions/adhesion

Abstract:

Epithelial cells are specialized cells that line our organs and connect together with adhesive junctions. Loss of junctions compromises tissue structure and has been linked to human disease, such as kidney disease, cancer, and birth defects. We are investigating how cell junctions form in developing epithelia. Previous studies from our lab demonstrated that PAR-6 is required for junctions to mature in differentiating epithelial cells. PAR-6 functions together with the kinase PKC-3, but the targets of PKC-3 important for junction formation are largely unknown. Using a temperature-sensitive hypomorphic allele of pkc-3, we found that junctions in the spermatheca can break in mutant animals, leading to sterility. To find genes that function together with pkc-3 to regulate junctions, we performed a suppressor screen to identify pkc-3 mutants that are fertile at the restrictive temperature. We isolated 27 independent mutations, including six intragenic mutations in the pkc-3 gene. We have also identified a new allele of a known pkc-3 regulator, lgl-1; and identified two different alleles of F22F4.1, an uncharacterized gene. We are using whole genome sequencing to clone the remaining six mutants, and will characterize their function in junction maturation.



Wormbase Genetic Index
1. pkc-3
2. lgl-1
3. f22f4.1
4. par-6