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Conditional nmy-1 and nmy-2 alleles establish that nonmuscle myosins are required for late Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic elongation.
- Source :
-
Genetics [Genetics] 2024 Sep 04; Vol. 228 (1). - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- The elongation of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos allows examination of mechanical interactions between adjacent tissues. Muscle contractions during late elongation induce the remodeling of epidermal circumferential actin filaments through mechanotransduction. Force inputs from the muscles deform circumferential epidermal actin filament, which causes them to be severed, eventually reformed, and shortened. This squeezing force drives embryonic elongation. We investigated the possible role of the nonmuscle myosins NMY-1 and NMY-2 in this process using nmy-1 and nmy-2 thermosensitive alleles. Our findings show these myosins act redundantly in late elongation, since double nmy-2(ts); nmy-1(ts) mutants immediately stop elongation when raised to 25°C. Their inactivation does not reduce muscle activity, as measured from epidermis deformation, suggesting that they are directly involved in the multistep process of epidermal remodeling. Furthermore, NMY-1 and NMY-2 inactivation is reversible when embryos are kept at the nonpermissive temperature for a few hours. However, after longer exposure to 25°C double mutant embryos fail to resume elongation, presumably because NMY-1 was seen to form protein aggregates. We propose that the two C. elegans nonmuscle myosin II act during actin remodeling either to bring severed ends or hold them.<br />Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.<br /> (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Genetics Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our siteāfor further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Embryo, Nonmammalian metabolism
Epidermis metabolism
Epidermis embryology
Mutation
Myosin Heavy Chains
Myosins metabolism
Myosins genetics
Alleles
Caenorhabditis elegans genetics
Caenorhabditis elegans embryology
Caenorhabditis elegans metabolism
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins genetics
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins metabolism
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1943-2631
- Volume :
- 228
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Genetics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 39053622
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyae109