The divergent C. elegans ephrin EFN-4 functions inembryonic morphogenesis in a pathway independent of the VAB-1 Eph receptor

Development. 2002 Dec;129(23):5499-510. doi: 10.1242/dev.00122.

Abstract

The C. elegans genome encodes a single Eph receptor tyrosine kinase, VAB-1, which functions in neurons to control epidermal morphogenesis. Four members of the ephrin family of ligands for Eph receptors have been identified in C. elegans. Three ephrins (EFN-1/VAB-2, EFN-2 and EFN-3) have been previously shown to function in VAB-1 signaling. We show that mutations in the gene mab-26 affect the fourth C. elegans ephrin, EFN-4. We show that efn-4 also functions in embryonic morphogenesis, and that it is expressed in the developing nervous system. Interestingly, efn-4 mutations display synergistic interactions with mutations in the VAB-1 receptor and in the EFN-1 ephrin, indicating that EFN-4 may function independently of the VAB-1 Eph receptor in morphogenesis. Mutations in the LAR-like receptor tyrosine phosphatase PTP-3 and in the Semaphorin-2A homolog MAB-20 disrupt embryonic neural morphogenesis. efn-4 mutations synergize with ptp-3 mutations, but not with mab-20 mutations, suggesting that EFN-4 and Semaphorin signaling could function in a common pathway or in opposing pathways in C. elegans embryogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / cytology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / physiology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / chemistry
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Ephrins / chemistry
  • Ephrins / genetics
  • Ephrins / metabolism*
  • Epistasis, Genetic
  • Genes, Reporter
  • Humans
  • Larva / anatomy & histology
  • Larva / physiology
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Morphogenesis*
  • Mutation
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Nervous System / growth & development
  • Organisms, Genetically Modified
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • EFN-4 protein, C elegans
  • Ephrins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • mab-20 protein, C elegans

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AF410936