The C. elegans LON-1 protein requires its CAP domain for function in regulating body size and BMP signaling

The CAP (cysteine-rich secretory proteins, antigen-5, and pathogenesis-related) proteins are widely expressed and have been implicated to play diverse roles ranging from mammalian reproduction to plant immune response. Increasing evidence supports a role of CAP proteins in lipid binding. The Caenorhabditis elegans CAP protein LON-1 is known to regulate body size and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. LON-1 is a secreted protein with a conserved CAP domain and a C-terminal unstructured domain with no homology to other proteins. In this study, we report that the C-terminal domain of LON-1 is dispensable for its function. Instead, key conserved residues located in the CAP domain are critical for LON-1 function in vivo. We further showed that LON-1 is capable of binding sterol, but not fatty acid, in vitro, and that certain key residues implicated in LON-1 function in vivo are also important for LON-1 sterol binding in vitro. These findings suggest a role of LON-1 in regulating body size and BMP signaling via sterol binding.