mab-23 is required for development of the
male proctodeum. (A,C,E) Proctodeum of wild-type,
mab-23 and egl-38 adult males. Nomarski micrographs
(lateral view; anterior, left; dorsal, up).
(A) In wild-type males the vas deferens (vas def.) is devoid
of sperm. cl., cloaca (the anus in larval animals); sp., spicules. In
mab-23 (C) and egl-38 (E) males,
sperm (arrowhead) accumulates in the vas def. (B) Schematic of
L1 male hindgut (lateral view). Black, blast cells; vir, rectal valve
cells; rep, rectal epithelial cells (Sulston et al. 1980). (D)
Nomarski micrograph of L1 male hindgut (lateral view; anterior,
left; dorsal, up). (F) Fluorescent
micrograph of D showing MAB-23 ∷ GFP in U and two rectal
epithelial cells (rec), either K, K.a, K‘, or repD; gut
autofluorescence (white arrowhead). (G,H) Fluorescent
micrograph showing plin-48 ∷ gfp-expressing hindgut cells
in late L4 males (lateral view). U descendents and K‘/K.a are located
over the posterior end of the gonad (outlined with broken line) in the
ventral half of the animal. In wild-type (G), these cells
extend anteriorly over the gonad; in mab-23 males
(H), these cells show only limited extension. Body outline
(solid line), engulfed linker cell corpse inside U.l/rp (l.c).
Magnification, 1000×. Bar, 10 μM.