# rab-33 is not required for cuticle integrity in Caenorhabditis elegans

## TL;DR

This study shows that the rab-33 gene is not essential for maintaining the cuticle in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel null allele of rab-33 and demonstrates its non-essential role in cuticle integrity.

## Key findings

- Loss of rab-33 does not lead to cuticle defects in C. elegans.
- Rab-33 is not required for glycosylation or axon regeneration in this model organism.

## Abstract

Rab GTPases are master regulators of intracellular transport. We previously showed that a

rab-6.2

deletion leads to a compromised cuticle, glycosylation defects, and increased axon regeneration. Mammalian orthologs of

rab-6.2

and

rab-33

have been shown to mediate Golgi trafficking of cargo in mammalian cells, including that of glycosyltransferase enzymes. We engineered a novel STOP-IN putative null allele of

rab-33
(
axr2
)

to determine if loss of function of

rab-33

phenocopies the phenotypes seen in

rab-6.2
(
ok2254
).

Our results suggest that

rab-33

is not required for cuticle integrity.