title: Caenorhabditis elegans dpy-5 is a cuticle procollagen processed by a proprotein convertase.
abstract: Genetic analysis of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans reveals that all dpy-5 alleles are dominant suppressors of bli-4 blistering. Molecular cloning of dpy-5 establishes that it encodes a cuticle procollagen, defects in which are responsible for the short-body, dumpy phenotype. The null mutation, e907 removes the entire coding region, whereas the dpy-5 reference allele, e61, contains a nonsense substitution. RT-PCR analysis and a dpy-5::gfp fusion show that dpy-5 is expressed only in hypodermal cells at all post-embryonic life-cycle stages. Variable expression of dpy-5 in V lineage-derived seam cells suggests an alternative regulatory mechanism in these cells. The dpy-5 gene product contains an Arg-X-X-Arg cleavage motif that could be recognized by a proprotein convertase, such as BLI-4. Mutation of this site cause a dominant dumpy phenotype suggesting Dpy-5 procollagen requires processing for normal cuticle production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 419-2125 East Mall, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thacker
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sheps
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011347:Procollagen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D043484:Proprotein Convertases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D011347:Procollagen; C512033:dpy-5 protein, C elegans; D043484:Proprotein Convertases