The role of vab-1/Eph receptor during epidermal intercalation in C.elegans

Abstract

During C. elegans embryo genesis, dorsal intercalation occurs when epidermal cells exchange places with one another. In this study, we describe a role for Eph receptor--a receptor tyrosine kinase, known as VAB-1 in C. elegans--during the process of intercalation. The literature suggests that vab-1 is crucial for proper embryogenesis; however, no one has described vab-l's role in intercalation specifically. Here, I show that VAB-1 is necessary for intercalation and determine which regions of the VAB-1 protein are required for intercalation using a variety of characterized alleles within the vab-1 gene. Because Eph receptors are highly conserved, this research has implications for vertebrate processes that depend on cell intercalation, such as neural tube closure.