WormMine: ExpressionPattern Expr2304

• Pattern: Anti-MEC-8 serum recognized a nuclear antigen in wild-type C. elegans embryos. The youngest embryos to exhibit immunostaining contained about 50 cells, all of which showed nuclear staining. All nuclei showed staining in embryos containing up to hundreds of nuclei. Two mec-8 mutants, mec-8(u391) and mec-8(u314), failed to show any trace of nuclear staining at any stage of development. During the late proliferative phase of embryogenesis, prior to the onset of morphogenesis, MEC-8 staining was confined largely to hypodermal nuclei. Prior to this shift, MEC-8 was found in most nuclei, including nuclei that were also marked with an hlh-1::lacZ reporter, which is expressed in early blastomeres that subsequently produce only body wall muscle cells; but MEC-8 was not detectable in body muscles after the onset of morphogenesis. In L1-L4 larvae, MEC-8 was detected by anti-MEC-8 serum in the nuclei of the large hypodermal syncytium, hyp7, that covers most of the worm. This staining was fainter than the staining of the embryonic hypodermal nuclei, became even fainter during later larval development and was undetectable in adults. The nuclei of head hypodermal cells not fused with hyp7 (hyp4 and hyp5 nuclei in particular) stained well with anti-MEC-8 in all larval stages and in adults. Anti-MEC-8 also stained the nuclei of many neurons in the head (probably including chemosensory neurons); a few neurons in the central body region [including the ALM and AVM touch neurons, and neurons in the post-deirid]; vulval nuclei in L4 and adult stage hermaphrodites; anterior- and posterior-most intestinal nuclei; and other unidentified nuclei in the head and tail. The anterior-most muscle nuclei in the heads of larvae had low but detectable levels of MEC-8, but none of the muscle cells in the main body appeared to stain with anti-MEC-8.
• Primary Identifier: Expr2304
• Subcellular Localization: nuclear staining

15 Anatomy Terms

Definition	Name	Synonym	Primary Identifier
female genital.	vulva		WBbt:0006748
neuron with its cell body situated in the head, excluding the pharynx.	head neuron		WBbt:0006751
body wall muscle in the head, including first eight cells of each muscle quadrants which are innervated by nerve ring neurons.	head muscle	head body wall muscle	WBbt:0006761
neuron with its cell body situated in the tail, posterior to rectum.	tail neuron		WBbt:0006759
entire syncytium of hyp7	hyp7 syncytium	hyp7	WBbt:0005734
Cylindrical hypodermal syncytium in head	hyp1	lineage name: ABalpaapppa	WBbt:0004694
Cylindrical hypodermal syncytium in head	hyp2	lineage name: ABalpaapppp	WBbt:0004692
Cylindrical hypodermal syncytium in head	hyp5	lineage name: ABarpappap	WBbt:0004685
Cylindrical hypodermal syncytium in head	hyp3	lineage name: ABplaapaaaa	WBbt:0004690
Cylindrical hypodermal syncytium in head	hyp4	lineage name: ABarpapapa	WBbt:0004687
Neuron class of one sensory neuron, anterior ventral microtubule cell, touch receptor.	AVM	lineage name: QR.paa	WBbt:0003832
Anterior lateral microtubule cell, touch receptor	ALML	lineage name: ABarppaappa	WBbt:0003954
Anterior lateral microtubule cell, touch receptor	ALMR	lineage name: ABarpppappa	WBbt:0003953
Cylindrical hypodermal syncytium in head	hyp6	lineage name: ABarpaapaa	WBbt:0004679
cell that exists in and is part of an embryo.	embryonic cell		WBbt:0007028

1 Genes

WormBase Gene ID	Gene Name	Sequence Name	Organism
WBGene00003172	mec-8	F46A9.6	Caenorhabditis elegans

7 Life Stages

Remark	Definition	Other Name	Public Name	Primary Identifier
	The stage that begins when a C.elegans individual is fully-developed and has reached maturity.		adult Ce	WBls:0000041
	The third stage larva. At 25 Centigrade, it ranges 32.5-40 hours after fertilization, 18.5-26 hours after hatch.		L3 larva Ce	WBls:0000035
	The second stage larva. At 25 Centigrade, it ranges 25.5-32.5 hours after fertilization, 11.5-18.5 hours after hatch.		L2 larva Ce	WBls:0000027
	The fourth stage larva. At 25 Centigrade, it ranges 40-49.5 hours after fertilization, 26-35.5 hours after hatch.		L4 larva Ce	WBls:0000038
	The first stage larva. At 25 Centigrade, it ranges 14-25.5 hours after fertilization, 0-11.5 hours after hatch.		L1 larva Ce	WBls:0000024
	The C. elegans life stage spanning 290-350min after first cleavage at 20 Centigrade. Proliferate from 421 cells to 560 cells. The stage when embryo just finished gastrulation and is enclosing.		enclosing embryo Ce	WBls:0000013
	The C. elegans life stage spanning 100-290min after first cleavage at 20 Centigrade. Proliferate from 28 cells to 421 cells. Referring to the whole period of gastrulation.		gastrulating embryo Ce	WBls:0000010