The Mucin-type hydrogel-forming protein DPY-6 has a conserved role in nematode mouth and cuticle formation. dpy-6 is involved in nematode cuticle and mouth formation

We used a large-scale genetic screen to identify genes involved in mouth formation. We identified Ppa-dpy-6 to encode a Mucin-type hydrogel-forming protein that is macroscopically involved in the specification of the cheilostom, the anterior part of the mouth. We used recently developed protocols for geometric morphometrics of miniature animals to characterize these defects further and found additional defects that affect mouth form, shape and size resulting in an overall malformation of the mouth.