C. elegans mlt-11 activity is necessary in seam cells for molting and larval development

C. elegans gene mlt-11 is a Kunitz family putative protease inhibitor required for proper cuticle formation and molting. Using tissue-specific RNA interference we tested in which tissues mlt-11 activity was critical for molting and developmental progression. mlt-11 knockdown using a seam cell-enriched RNAi strain produced similar phenotypes as knockdown throughout animals. In contrast, hypodermis-enriched knockdown caused no detectable phenotype. Together, our findings identify seam cells as a critical site of mlt-11 function and highlight an unexpectedly central role for this specialized epithelial cell type in regulating molting and developmental progression.