Expr2285

Both TU#677 and TU#676 are expressed exclusively in the six touch receptor neurons, as identified by their positions and projections, throughout development, beginning in embryogenesis.

Expr268

A long transcript mec-9lacZ fusion (TU#165) was expressed only in the 6 touch cells and occasionally in the PVD cells. A fusion specific to the short transcript (TU#160) was expressed in about 25 cells in the head and 50 cells in the ventral cord. Replacing lacZ with the gfp coding region, which permitted visualization of cell processes (in fusion TU#163), showed that the expressing cells were neurons. An integrated line (uIs10) with a mec-9lacZ fusion (TU#171) designed to be expressed in both transcripts was expressed in both sets of cells.

Expr11808

A fusion containing 583 bp upstream of the translation start site (TU#276) directed expression to the six touch cells.

Expr11807

A construct containing only 169 bp of upstream sequence (TU#190) shows the normal expression pattern in ALM, AVM, PLM, PVM.

Expr1624

lacZ and gfp fusions with the mec-5 promoter (TU#233 and TU#234, respectively) and a lacZ fusion with part of the mec-5 coding sequence and a sequence for a synthetic transmembrane domain (TU#235) gave the same pattern of expression with strong expression by hypodermal cells. In newly hatched animals, MEC-5 is strongly expressed by seam cells (epidermal stem cells) along the body and by hypodermal cells in the head. As the animals mature and the seam cells divide, MEC-5 is expressed by both seam cells and their progeny, but at a lower level than in newly hatched larvae. In early L2 larvae, staining is also seen in the cells of the ventral hypodermis. Strong staining is limited to the head in adults.

Expr14682

We first show the localization of UNC-59 at the cleavage furrow (previously shown with antibody staining, (Nguyen et al. 2000)) during a time lapse of cell divisions in early 2- to 4-cell stages of embryogenesis and throughout embryogenesis (cleavage rings in older embryos. Septins are also important for gonad morphogenesis and distal tip cell (DTC) migration (Nguyen et al. 2000) where UNC-59 protein is detected throughout gonad development in the rachis (previously shown with endogenously tagged unc-59::mKate, (Priti et al. 2018)) and DTCs. We highlight UNC-59/Septin localization in the DTC (previously shown with a transgene, (Finger et al. 2003)) at the L2 and L3 stages where it is organized into bundles (DeMay et al. 2011) and ring structures. The two bilateral sex myoblast cells express UNC-59 during their posterior to anterior migration in the L2 and early L3 stage and continue to express UNC-59 in these cells as they differentiate into vulval muscles in the late L3 to early L4 stages. Lastly, we show UNC-59/Septin expression and localization in tissue not previously reported: in the pharynx (cells of the buccal cavity, anterior procorpus, and terminal bulb); in the seam cells, both in bundles and at the cleavage furrows, beginning in the L1 stage and continuing throughout development and into the adult; and in sperm surrounding an embryo that has exited the spermatheca.