Cell
Volume 83, Issue 4, 17 November 1995, Pages 611-620
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Article
An FGF receptor signaling pathway is required for the normal cell migrations of the sex myoblasts in C. elegans hermaphrodites

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Abstract

The sex myoblasts (SMs) in C. elegans hermaphrodites undergo anteriorly directed cell migrations that allow for the proper localization of the egg-laying muscles. These migrations are controlled in part by a signal emanating from gonadal cells that allows the SMs to be attracted to their precise final positions flanking the center of the gonad. Mutations in egl-15 alterthe nature of the interaction between the gonad and the SMs, resulting in the posterior displacement of the SMs. Here we show that egl-15 encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) subfamily with multiple roles in development. Three genes were identified that behave genetically as activators or mediators of egl-15 activity. One of these genes, sem-5, encodes an adaptor molecule that transduces signals from a variety of receptor tyrosine kinases. Like egl-15 and sem-5, the other two genes may similarly act in FGFR signaling pathways in C. elegans.

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