Regulation of Caenorhabditis elegans body size and male tail development by the novel gene lon-8.
BACKGROUND
In C. elegans and other nematode species, body size is determined by the composition of the extracellular cuticle as well as by the nuclear DNA content of the underlying hypodermis. Mutants that are defective in these processes can exhibit either a short or a long body size phenotype. Several mutations that give a long body size (Lon) phenotype have been characterized and found to be regulated by the DBL-1/TGF-beta pathway, that controls post-embryonic growth and male tail development.


RESULTS
Here we characterize a novel gene affecting body size. lon-8 encodes a secreted product of the hypodermis that is highly conserved in Rhabditid nematodes. lon-8 regulates larval elongation as well as male tail development. In both processes, lon-8 appears to function independently of the Sma/Mab pathway. Rather, lon-8 genetically interacts with dpy-11 and dpy-18, which encode cuticle collagen modifying enzymes.


CONCLUSIONS
The novel gene lon-8 encodes a secreted product of the hypodermis that controls body size and male ray morphology in C. elegans. lon-8 genetically interacts with enzymes that affect the composition of the cuticle.
Soete
Gwen
G
Hubrecht Laboratory, Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology and Center for Biomedical Genetics, Uppsalalaan, Utrecht, The Netherlands. gwen@niob.knaw.nl <gwen@niob.knaw.nl>
Betist
Marco C
MC
Korswagen
Hendrik C
HC
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000502:physiology; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D040521:Subcutaneous Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D013623:Tail / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C519523:Lon-8 protein, C elegans