Ectopic Germ Cells Can Induce Niche-like Enwrapment by Neighboring Body Wall Muscle (Current Biology)

Gordon et al. show that when C. elegans germ cells are made to escape from the gonad, they become selectively enwrapped by dynamic muscle protrusions. Enwrapping muscle resembles the endogenous germ stem cell niche, both morphologically and in the localization of adhesion complex members, yielding insight into the formation of ectopic niches.