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. 2019 Aug 6;8:e46703. doi: 10.7554/eLife.46703

Figure 3. ZTF-11 is required for epithelial-to-neuronal transdifferentiation in vivo.

(A) PDA neuron, located in preanal ganglion, arises from stereotyped transdifferentiation of rectal epithelial cell Y. (B) Schematic diagram of Y-to-PDA transdifferentiation event. Rectal epithelium Y cell withdraws from its rectal niche starting late L1 and loses epithelial markers to yield an intermediate cell (Y.0). During L2, Y gains neuronal markers and morphology (Y.1) to become mature PDA in L3. Meanwhile, P12.pa cell take place of Y in the rectal epithelium. Letter color code; magenta (epithelial), green (neuronal) (C) Representative images of ZTF-11::GFP expression during Y-PDA transdifferentiation. Rectal epithelium was labeled with egl-26 marker (magenta, rectal epithelium::mRuby::PH). (D) PDA marker, exp-1, expression in wild type (wt(-Cre)) or ztf-11 conditional knock-out (ztf-11 cKO). Dashed circle indicates the position of PDA cell body. (E) Y cell marker, egl-26, expression in wild type (wt(-Cre)) or ztf-11 conditional knock-out (ztf-11 cKO). Magenta dashed line outlines the retained Y cell. See also Figure 3—figure supplement 1 for exclusivity between PDA marker (cog-1) and rectal epithelium marker (col-34). (F) Quantification of PDA marker (exp-1) loss (from D) and Y marker retention (from E) phenotypes.

Figure 3.

Figure 3—figure supplement 1. Rectal epithelial and neuronal fates are mutually exclusive during transdifferentiation.

Figure 3—figure supplement 1.

PDA (cog-1) and rectal epithelium (col-34) markers are shown in wild type (without Cre recombinase expression) or conditional knock-out (Cre expression in Y cell) mutant. Green arrows, PDA. Magenta Arrows, retained Y cell. Note that P12.pa cell, which replaces Y in wild type, fails to localize to its rectal niche.