Niche Cell Wrapping Ensures Primordial Germ Cell Quiescence and Protection from Intercellular Cannibalism

Niche cells often wrap membrane extensions around stem cell surfaces. Niche wrapping has been proposed to retain stem cells in defined positions and affect signaling [e.g., 1, 2]. To test these hypotheses and uncover additional functions of wrapping, we investigated niche wrapping of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the C. elegans embryonic gonad primordium. The gonad primordium contains two PGCs that are wrapped individually by two somatic gonad precursor cells (SGPs). SGPs are known to promote PGC survival during embryogenesis and exit from quiescence after hatching, although how they do so is unknown [3]. Here, we identify two distinct functions of SGP wrapping that are critical for PGC quiescence and survival. First, niche cell wrapping templates a laminin-based basement membrane around the gonad primordium. Laminin and the basement membrane receptor dystroglycan function to maintain niche cell wrapping, which is critical for normal gonad development. We find that laminin also preserves PGC quiescence during embryogenesis. Exit from quiescence following laminin depletion requires glp-1/Notch and is accompanied by inappropriate activation of the GLP-1 target sygl-1 in PGCs. Independent of basement membrane, SGP wrapping performs a second, crucial function to ensure PGC survival. Endodermal cells normally engulf and degrade large lobes extended by the PGCs [4]. When SGPs are absent, we show that endodermal cells can inappropriately engulf and cannibalize the PGC cell body. Our findings demonstrate how niche cell wrapping protects germ cells by manipulating their signaling environment and by shielding germ cells from unwanted cellular interactions that can compromise their survival.