WormMine: ExpressionPattern Expr1431

• Pattern: In six comma-stage embryos, an average of 80.5 ( 2.5 s.d.) PHA-4-staining pharyngeal nuclei were counted by confocal microscopy (maximum count = 85). Analysis of later stage animals shows clearly that all six cells of the pharyngeal-intestinal valve contain PHA-4 protein. Thus the total number of potentially staining nuclei (pharynx + valve) should be equal to 86. all cells of the pharyngeal primordium (+ valve) contain the nuclear factor PHA-4. The same embryos also show nuclear PHA-4 in 6-8 rectal cells, including the two rectal valve cells and the three rectal epithelial cells. At the lima bean and comma stages of embryogenesis, a low but significant level of PHA-4 can be detected in the gut. pha-4 gene is expressed in pharyngeal precursor cells well before the formation of the pharynx primordium. PHA-4 can be detected immunologically in most but not all nuclei of the larval and adult pharynx. PHA-4 is detected in nuclei of all epithelial cells, muscle cells, marginal cells, gland cells and pharyngeal intestinal valve cells, but is detected only in about 8 of 19 neuronal nuclei. PHA-4 is also detected in one (comma stage) to several (pretzel stage and later) head cells outside of the pharynx. PHA-4 can also be detected in nuclei of the developing somatic gonad, including the distal tip cell and ventral uterine cells.
• Primary Identifier: Expr1431
• Subcellular Localization: nuclear

12 Anatomy Terms

Definition	Name	Synonym	Primary Identifier
A chain of very large cuboidal cells forming a wide central lumen in which food arrives from the posterior pharynx, is digested, and from which waste products proceed to the rectum. Intestinal rings form in groups of two and four cells surrounding the common lumen; thus the epithelium is only one cell deep at any point, with neighboring cells firmly secured to their neighbors by apical adherens junctions. These cells have very large nuclei and many large vacuoles, yolk granules, and other inclusions; the latter increase in number and electron density as the animal ages.	intestine	gut	WBbt:0005772
A group of six equivalent cells forms a tightly constructed `valve` that links the posterior bulb of the pharynx to the anterior four cells of the intestine. These six cells comprise a small epithelial channel with a cuticular lining in continuity with the pharyngeal cuticle and link the lumen of the pharynx to the large lumen of the anterior intestine.	pharyngeal-intestinal valve	cardia	WBbt:0005767
Posterior distal tip cell, inhibit meiosis in neighbouring germ cells, lead gonad during morphogenesis, herm gonad	posterior distal tip cell	gon herm dtc P	WBbt:0004506
Anterior distal tip cell, inhibit meiosis in neighbouring germ cells, lead gonad during morphogenesis, herm gonad	anterior distal tip cell	gon herm dtc A	WBbt:0004520
neuron of the pharyngeal nervous system.	pharyngeal neuron		WBbt:0005439
Secretory gland cell of the pharynx	Pharyngeal gland cell		WBbt:0005788
cell that makes up epithelium in pharynx.	pharyngeal epithelial cell	pharyngeal epithelium	WBbt:0005459
anterior-most body region containing the pharynx.	head		WBbt:0005739
epithelium connecting intestine and anus.	rectal epithelium		WBbt:0005800
a type of pharyngeal cell that connects basement membrane to the apices of triangle-shaped pharyngeal lumen.	marginal cell		WBbt:0003673
toroidal epithelial cell that make up the bulk of the uterus, four cells anterior and four cells posterior to the vulva.	uterine toroidal epithelial cell	ut cell	WBbt:0006784
cell that forms intestinal-rectal valve.	rectal valve cell	intestinal-rectal valve cell	WBbt:0005797

1 Genes

WormBase Gene ID	Gene Name	Sequence Name	Organism
WBGene00004013	pha-4	F38A6.1	Caenorhabditis elegans

1 Life Stages

Remark	Definition	Other Name	Public Name	Primary Identifier
	All C. elegans development stages, including embryo, larva and adult stage.		all stages Ce	WBls:0000002