From sensing cellular sterols to assembling sensory structures.
The genome of the nematode C. elegans is peppered with novel genes belonging to a superfamily whose members function in cellular cholesterol homeostasis (Niemann-Pick C1) and Hedgehog signal transduction (Patched) and biogenesis (Dispatched). In this issue of Developmental Cell and an analysis of a pair of Patched- and Dispatched-related proteins in C. elegans extends the superfamily's repertoire to include the formation of tubular organs.
Incardona
John P
JP
Environmental Conservation Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA.
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D000072079:Patched Receptors; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D012679:Sense Organs / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013261:Sterols / Q000378:metabolism*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D000072079:Patched Receptors; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D013261:Sterols; D002784:Cholesterol