Genes that can be mutated to unmask hidden antigenic determinants in the cuticle of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Rabbit antisera directed against a mixture of proteins solubilized from the wild-type adult Caenorhabditis elegans cuticle were used to isolate mutants, induced by ethyl methanesulfonate treatment, that exhibit alterations in surface antigenicity by immunofluorescence. Genetic mapping and complementation data for four such mutations define two genes, srf-2(I) and srf-3(IV). The mutant phenotypes observed by immunofluorescence appear to result from unmasking of antigenic determinants that are normally hidden in the wild-type cuticle. In support of this hypothesis, surface radioiodination experiments indicate that components labeled on the wild-type surface are missing or less readily labeled on the surface of srf-2 and srf-3 mutants.