RRC ID 84220
Author Sonntag T, Omi S, Andreeva A, Valotteau C, Eichelbrenner J, Chisholm AD, Ward JD, Pujol N.
Title A defining member of the new cysteine-cradle family is an aECM protein signalling skin damage in C. elegans.
Journal PLoS Genet
Abstract Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) act as crucial barriers, and communicate with the epidermis to trigger protective responses following injury or infection. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the skin aECM, the cuticle, is produced by the epidermis and is decorated with periodic circumferential furrows. We previously showed that mutants lacking cuticle furrows exhibit persistent immune activation (PIA), providing a valuable model to study the link between cuticle damage and immune response. In a genetic suppressor screen, we identified spia-1 as a key gene downstream of furrow collagens and upstream of immune signalling. spia-1 expression oscillates during larval development, peaking between each moult together with patterning cuticular components. It encodes a secreted protein that localises to furrows. SPIA-1 shares a novel cysteine-cradle domain with other aECM proteins. SPIA-1 mediates immune activation in response to furrow loss and is proposed to act as an extracellular signal activator of cuticle damage. This research provides a molecular insight into intricate interplay between cuticle integrity and epidermal immune activation in C. elegans.
Volume 21(3)
Pages e1011593
Published 2025-3-1
DOI 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011593
PII PGENETICS-D-24-01307
PMID 40112269
PMC PMC11925461
MeSH Animals Caenorhabditis elegans* / genetics Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / genetics Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / metabolism Cysteine / genetics Cysteine / metabolism Epidermis* / metabolism Extracellular Matrix / genetics Extracellular Matrix / metabolism Mutation Signal Transduction* Skin / metabolism Skin / pathology
Resource
C.elegans tm2484