2004 Midwest Worm Meeting abstract 64
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
| 1 | Dept. Biomedical Sciences, Southwest Missouri State University, 901 S. National Ave., Springfield, MO 65804 |
| 2 | cmw890f@smsu.edu |
Collagen IV is an important structural molecule contributing to the basic three dimensional network of basement membranes. In C. elegans, the predominant form of collagen IV is a heterotrimer consisting of an (a 1)2 a 2 composition initially expressed and secreted by the body wall muscle cells. The collagen IV network forms between the body wall muscle cells and the hypodermal cells of the young embryo such that the C. elegans epidermis shares a basal lamina with the body wall muscle cells. Adherens junction molecule (AJM-1) is an important structural adhesion molecule located in the apical junctions of adjacent epidermal cells and along with the muscle sarcomere function is important in embryonic elongation. Previous data demonstrated that the hypodermal cells in the collagen IV null animals show abnormal shape just prior to embryonic arrest.
To identify if abnormalities in hypodermal cell shape occur earlier in collagen IV null embryos, previously generated transgenic strain, MZ1 expressing ajm-1::gfp, and time-lapse digital epifluorescence microscopy was used to identify the embryonic stage where abnormalities in hypodermal cell shape could be observed. Data show that abnormalities in hypodermal cell shape begin approximately at the 1.25 fold stage and followed through arrest with altered cell boundaries and distribution of adherens junction molecules.