The marginal cells of the Caenorhabditis elegans pharynx scavenge cholesterol and other hydrophobic small molecules

Muntasir Kamal, Houtan Moshiri, Lilia Magomedova, Duhyun Han, Ken C. Q. Nguyen, May Yeo, Jessica Knox, Rachel Bagg, Amy M. Won, Karolina Szlapa, Christopher M. Yip, Carolyn L. Cummins, David H. Hall and Peter J. Roy ()
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Muntasir Kamal: University of Toronto
Houtan Moshiri: University of Toronto
Lilia Magomedova: University of Toronto
Duhyun Han: University of Toronto
Ken C. Q. Nguyen: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
May Yeo: University of Toronto
Jessica Knox: University of Toronto
Rachel Bagg: University of Toronto
Amy M. Won: University of Toronto
Karolina Szlapa: University of Toronto
Christopher M. Yip: University of Toronto
Carolyn L. Cummins: University of Toronto
David H. Hall: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Peter J. Roy: University of Toronto

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacterivore filter feeder. Through the contraction of the worm’s pharynx, a bacterial suspension is sucked into the pharynx’s lumen. Excess liquid is then shunted out of the buccal cavity through ancillary channels made by surrounding marginal cells. We find that many worm-bioactive small molecules (a.k.a. wactives) accumulate inside of the marginal cells as crystals or globular spheres. Through screens for mutants that resist the lethality associated with one crystallizing wactive we identify a presumptive sphingomyelin-synthesis pathway that is necessary for crystal and sphere accumulation. We find that expression of sphingomyelin synthase 5 (SMS-5) in the marginal cells is not only sufficient for wactive accumulation but is also important for absorbing exogenous cholesterol, without which C. elegans cannot develop. We conclude that sphingomyelin-rich marginal cells act as a sink to scavenge important nutrients from filtered liquid that might otherwise be shunted back into the environment.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11908-0

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