Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
Volume 6, Issue 6, Pages 865-873Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2004.05.018
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NCI NIH HHS [CA 74243, CA 68475] Funding Source: Medline
- NCRR NIH HHS [R24 RR012596] Funding Source: Medline
- NIH HHS [R24 OD010943] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Epithelial tubes are basic building blocks of complex organs, but their architectural requirements are not well understood. Here we show that erm-1 is a unique C. elegans ortholog of the ERM family of cytoskeleton-membrane linkers, with an essential role in lumen morphogenesis. ERM-1 localizes to the luminal membranes of those tubular organ epithelia which lack stabilization by cuticle. RNA interference (RNAi), a germline deletion, and overexpression of erm-1 cause cystic luminal phenotypes in these epithelia. Confocal and ultrastructural analyses indicate that erm-1 functions directly in apical membrane morphogenesis, rather than in epithelial polarity and junction assembly as has been previously proposed for ERMs. We also show that act-5/cytoplasmic actin and sma-1/ P-H-spectrin are required for lumen formation and functionally interact with erm-1. Our findings suggest that there are common structural constraints on the architecture of diverse organ lumina.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available