{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T09:11:52Z","timestamp":1776244312857,"version":"3.50.1"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]]},"group-title":"Cell Biology","reference-count":51,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775779200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000057","name":"NIGMS","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["GM110268"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GM110268"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000057","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"NSF BSF","award":["2419801"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2419801"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Proper regulation of contraction and relaxation in biological tubes is essential for organismal function. In\n                  <jats:italic>C. elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                  , the spermatheca, composed of smooth muscle-like cells, undergoes repeated stretching and contraction as oocytes pass through. Here we describe PES-8, a previously uncharacterized protein, as a regulator of spermatheca contractility. PES-8 contains a predicted extracellular zona pellucida-like domain and an unstructured cytoplasmic tail, suggesting dual roles in extracellular and cytoplasmic signaling. PES-8 localizes to the plasma membrane of the spermatheca, the spermathecal-uterine valve, and uterus. Functional analysis shows that PES-8 is essential for spermathecal function; its loss disrupts actomyosin fiber alignment, FLN-1\/filamin localization, apical junction organization, and Ca\u00b2\u207a signaling, preventing oocyte transit. These findings identify PES-8 as a key regulator of cytoskeletal organization and calcium-mediated contractility in the\n                  <jats:italic>C. elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                  spermatheca.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.04.08.717217","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,11]],"date-time":"2026-04-11T02:35:14Z","timestamp":1775874914000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["PES-8 is required for Cytoskeletal Organization and Contractility in the\n                  <i>C. elegans<\/i>\n                  Spermatheca"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3428-8642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fereshteh","family":"Sadeghian","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8129-1326","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erin 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