WormMine: AnatomyTerm WBbt:0007832

• Definition: Small linear ridges running along the lateral lines of the cuticle, lengthwise along the body; these thickenings lie in register with the seam cells which likely produce them and are present in the cuticle of the L1, dauer and adult stages, but not in other larval stages. The alae are suspected to provide better traction when the animal generates a bodywave. Since the animal usually lies on its side, the alae are in perfect position to catch against the substrate.
• Name: cuticular ala
• Primary Identifier: WBbt:0007832
• Synonym: alae

0 Children

0 Expression Clusters

6 Expression Patterns

• Primary Identifier: Expr16291
• Subcellular Localization: PTR- 4::SfGFP was not detected during the early part of embryogenesis but appeared by the twofold stage along the apical membranes of the epidermis, excretory duct and pore, and rectum. However, PTR-4 expression was transient and rapidly cleared prior to hatching. PTR-4 reappeared in the middle of each subsequent larval stage, during the time when precuticle is present. During L4 stage, the stage pre- ceding adulthood, PTR-4 was present on apical surfaces between the major epidermis (hyp7) and the lateral seam cells (Figure 5E), which secrete alae (as well as precuticle factors that are needed to shape alae; Lie ́geois et al. 2006; Kolotuev et al. 2009; Forman- Rubinsky et al. 2017; Cohen et al. 2019; Flatt et al. 2019). PTR-4 was also present along apical surfaces of the rectum and of some cells in the vulva, the tube through which eggs will be laid. As in embryogenesis, PTR-4 was transient and disappeared as the adult cuticle was made. Together, these observations demon- strate that PTR-4 is present on the apical surfaces of external epithelia during the time period when precuticle is present.

• Primary Identifier: Expr3130
• Pattern: A GFP-tagged DAC-1 fusion protein is expressed strongly in the AFD and weakly in the AWC, ASE, and ASK chemosensory neurons in the head and is nuclear localized. Expression was also observed in the alae, which arise from fusion of the hypodermal seam cells as well as additional unidentified cells in the tail.
• Subcellular Localization: Expressed in nuclei.

• Primary Identifier: Expr8603
• Remark: Picture: Fig. 5.
• Pattern: DAF-6::GFP was expressed in the sheath and socket cells, as well as in the excretory canal at all stages of animals. In dauers, DAF-6::GFP expression in these cells was dramatically reduced/eliminated, although a pair of small puncta at the tip of the sheath cells remained in some animals, and most of the animals failed dye filling. At the same time, DAF-6::GFP colocalized with a dauer-specific cuticular structure called dauer alae. DAF-6::GFP expression in the sheath and socket cells was fully restored within 24 h when dauers were allowed to recover under optimal growth conditions, coincident with recovery of dye filling.

• Primary Identifier: Expr16430
• Pattern: TES-1 (jc71 ) is expressed in lateral (seam) epidermal cells. In larvae, TES-1 was visible at alae, epidermal structures produced by seam cells, and in adults, TES-1 was expressed in vulval tissues. In early embryos, mNG::TES-1 was visible inthe cytoplasm of epidermal cells, and at the 2-fold stage of elongation, mNG::TES-1 puncta began to accumulate at sites of cellcell contact, expanding and becoming more evenly distributed along cell borders as elongation continued. Strikingly, mNG::TES-1 was maintained at seam-dorsal and seam-ventral but not seam-seam borders.

• Primary Identifier: Expr16532
• Pattern: Endogenously tagged BLI collagens localize to puncta corresponding to cuticle struts. To determine the localization of BLI-2 we examined a BLI-2::mNG C-terminal knock-in (syb3293). BLI-2::mNG localized to adult strut puncta in a pattern essentially indistinguishable from that of BLI- 1::mNG. Additionally BLI-2::mNG localized to the lateral alae and seam-derived cuticle and to rings surrounding sensilla. BLI-2::mNG precisely colocalized with a BLI-1::wrmScarlet marker (juEx8105) in strut puncta, but not in the lateral alae.

• Primary Identifier: Expr16533
• Pattern: Endogenously tagged BLI collagens localize to puncta corresponding to cuticle struts. A BLI-6::mNG C-terminal knock-in (ju1914) localized to strut-like puncta. Unlike BLI-1::mNG and BLI-2::mNG, which tend to be more prominent in furrow-flanking strut rows, BLI-6::mNG was most prominent in the central row of struts in each annulus, confirmed by colocalization with BLI-1::wrmScarlet. Like BLI-2::mNG, BLI- 6::mNG localized to adult alae, seen as three very bright parallel ridges as well as more diffuse localization adjacent to the alae proper. BLI- 6::mNG additionally localized to cuticle furrows, and showed diffuse localization within the cuticle, as well as to larger foci in the deeper cuticle as well as to rings surrounding sensilla and the vulva.

0 Life Stages

2 Parents

Definition	Name	Synonym	Primary Identifier
a rigid external coating which is secreted by the hypodermis, seam and some transitional epithelial cells which covers the outer body, the major openings into the body cavity from the exterior, and two large sensory bristles, the male spicules. The cuticle of the spicules, the hook, and of some portions of the spicule channels is especially rigid and is probably sclerotized. Similar sclerotic features are occasionally noted in the ventral surface of the male tail fan.	cuticle	exoskeleton	WBbt:0005755
Anatomical structures that exist outside of cells; non-cellular.	extracellular component		WBbt:0005732