Transforming a spheroid nematode embryo into a worm shape begins with the embryo being enclosed by the epidermis through concerted epithelial cell movements. Modulation of cell adhesion is important in this process, as in all morphogenesis. On , Putzke and co-workers report that embryonic closure in C. elegans requires Fer-related kinase-1 (FRK-1), an orthologue of the mammalian non-receptor tyrosine kinase Fer, which mediates epithelial cell adhesion. Unexpectedly, the kinase activity of FRK-1 is not required for enclosure, suggesting that FRK-1 has a non-enzymatic role during morphogenesis. The researchers also show that β-catenin andβ-integrin are required for normal FRK-1 localization to the plasma membrane, and report that truncated mouse Fer rescues the morphogenetic defects of frk-1 mutant worms, while expression of FRK-1 in mammalian cells reduces cell adhesion. Thus, the researchers suggest, Fer-like proteins may play an evolutionarily conserved role in epithelial morphogenesis.
