The Caenorhabditis Elegans Vulval Morphogenesis Gene Sqv-4 Encodes a UDP-glucose Dehydrogenase That is Temporally and Spatially Regulated

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2002 Oct 23

PMID 12391315

Citations 30

Authors

Ho-Yon Hwang

H Robert Horvitz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The development of the Caenorhabditis elegans vulva requires the involution of epithelial cells and provides a model for organ morphogenesis. Mutations in C. elegans sqv (squashed vulva) genes affect both vulval morphogenesis and embryonic development. We found that sqv-4 encodes a protein similar to UDP-glucose dehydrogenases and showed that the SQV-4 protein specifically catalyzes the conversion of UDP-glucose to UDP-glucuronic acid, which is essential for the biosynthesis of chondroitin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans. SQV-4 is expressed in the vulva and in oocytes, among many other cells, and SQV-4 levels are dramatically increased in a specific subset of vulval cells during vulval morphogenesis. We propose that the regulation of UDP-glucuronic acid production in a specific subset of vulval cells helps determine the shape of the vulva.

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