Open AccessA conserved retromer-independent function for RAB-6.2/RAB6 inC. elegansepidermis integrity
Author(s) -
Jonathan D. Kim,
Andy Y. Chun,
Riley J. Mangan,
George Brown,
Bruno Mourao Pacheco,
Hannah Doyle,
Austin Leonard,
Rachid El Bejjani
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of cell science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.384
H-Index - 278
eISSN - 1477-9137
pISSN - 0021-9533
DOI - 10.1242/jcs.223586
Subject(s) - rab , biology , phenocopy , microbiology and biotechnology , caenorhabditis elegans , epidermis (zoology) , gtpase , transport protein , mutant , biochemistry , anatomy , gene
Rab proteins are conserved small GTPases that coordinate intracellular trafficking essential to cellular function and homeostasis. RAB-6.2 is a highly conserved C. elegans ortholog of human RAB6. RAB-6.2 is expressed in most tissues in C. elegans and is known to function in neurons and in the intestine to mediate retrograde trafficking. Here we show that RAB-6.2 is necessary for cuticle integrity and impermeability in C. elegans. RAB-6.2 functions in the epidermis to instruct skin integrity. Significantly, we show that a mouse RAB6A cDNA can rescue defects in C. elegans epidermis suggesting functional conservation across phyla. We also show that the novel function of RAB-6.2 in C. elegans cuticle development is distinct from its previously described function in neurons. Exocyst mutants partially phenocopy rab-6.2 null animals and rab-6.2 null animals phenocopy mutants that have defective surface glycosylation. These results suggest that RAB-6.2 may be mediating the trafficking of one or many secreted glycosylated cuticle proteins directly, or indirectly by trafficking glycosylation enzymes to their correct intracellular localization.