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In Caenorhabditis elegans, the gonad acquires two
U-shaped arms by the directed migration of its distal tip cells (DTCs)
alongthe body wall basement membranes. Correct migration of DTCs
requiresthe mig-17 gene, which encodes a member of the
metalloprotease-disintegrinprotein family. The MIG-17 protein is
secreted from muscle cellsof the body wall and localizes in the
basement membranes of gonad.This localization is dependent on the
disintegrin-like domainof MIG-17 and its catalytic activity. These
results suggest thatthe MIG-17 metalloprotease directs migration of
DTCs by remodelingthe basement membrane.
1 PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Corporation and
Fundamental Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation, Miyukigaoka,
Tsukuba 305-8501, Japan.
2 Department of Molecular Biology,
Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, and CREST, Japan Science
and Technology Corporation, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail address:
nishiwak{at}frl.cl.nec.co.jp
