Specific UNC-34 staining was detected with anti-EVH2 antibodies in embryos at the beginning of ventral enclosure. UNC-34 specifically localized to apical junctions of these migrating epidermal cells as previously described using an UNC-34::GFP reporter (Sheffield et al., 2007). Later in embryogenesis, UNC-34 was also found in a pattern that suggested it localizes to junctions of the epithelial cells that line the inside of the pharynx. UNC-34 localization to these structures decreased after the first larval stage, but was observed strongly at apical junctions of the developing vulva. Anti-EVH2 antibodies revealed broad expression of UNC-34 in the nervous system that was missing from the mutants
unc-34(
e951) and
unc-34(
gm104). UNC-34 localized to axons with fainter cytoplasmic staining in neuronal cell bodies. The nerve ring, the major C. elegans neuropil that contains the highest concentration of axons, displayed the most intense staining, while the dorsal nerve cord (DNC) and ventral nerve cord (VNC) also expressed detectable UNC-34. Nerve ring staining was detected as early as the two-fold stage of embryogenesis and the intensity of axonal staining increased until late embryogenesis. UNC-34 axon expression continued into adulthood although it became fainter in older larvae and adults.