Article Addendum

Overexpression of caveolins in Caenorhabditis elegans induces changes in egg-laying and fecundity

Volume 2, Issue 5   September/October 2009
Pages 382 - 384
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/cib.2.5.8715
Authors: Scott Parker and Howard A. Baylis

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Abstract:

Caveolae are small plasma membrane-associated invaginations that are enriched in proteins of the caveolin family in addition to, sphingolipids, glycosphingolipids and cholesterol. Caveolae have been implicated in several endocytic and trafficking mechanisms. Mutations in caveolins have been shown to cause disease and caveolae offer one site for pathogen entry. The Caenorhabditis elegans genome encodes two caveolins (cav-1 and cav-2); we have shown that these two proteins have distinct expression patterns. CAV-1 is found in the majority of cells in embryos and in the body-wall muscles, neurons and germ line of adult worms. CAV-2 is expressed in the intestine and is required for apical lipid trafficking. In the course of our studies, we generated several constructs to over-express caveolins in C. elegans. Here we show that over-expression of cav-1 protects against the decrease in brood size associated with the effects of heat shock and the presence of extrachromosomal arrays in heat-shocked animals. Furthermore, we show that over-expression of cav-2 in the nervous system increases the rate of egg-laying and total number of eggs laid.

Article Addendum to:
S Parker, DS Walker, S Ly, HA Baylis. Caveolin-2 is required for apical lipid trafficking and suppresses basolateral recycling defects in the intestine of Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Biol Cell 2009; 20: 1763-71
PMID: 19158391 DOI: Mol. Biol. Cell 10.1

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