Developmental DVE-1 programs ACT-5–dependent microvillar organization to preserve intestinal homeostasis in C. elegans

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The intestinal epithelium balances nutrient absorption and barrier defense using its apical brush border. Disrupting this structure causes malabsorption and disease, but the transcriptional programs driving its formation remain unclear. Here, we identify DVE-1—a homeobox transcription factor known for regulating the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR mt )—as essential for intestinal lumen integrity and absorptive function in C. elegans . Intestine-specific depletion of DVE-1 during development (but not adulthood) causes severe lumen distension and bacterial accumulation. Although DVE-1 loss induces antibacterial gene expression, genetic analyses reveal that this excessive immune activation is a secondary consequence rather than the primary driver of the pathology. Instead, DVE-1 deficiency disrupts the apical cytoskeleton: ACT-5 (brush-border actin) is reduced and mislocalized. This structural collapse, accompanied by severe disruptions in apical endocytic trafficking, leading to shortened microvilli, aberrant endosomal dynamics, and defective peptide absorption, which can be partially rescued by ACT-5 restoration. Thus, DVE-1 has a developmental, non-canonical role in building the apical machinery required for epithelial homeostasis. By connecting a mitochondrial stress regulator to ACT-5–dependent microvillar organization, our work reveals how transcriptional control maintains intestinal structure—and offers mechanistic insight into microvillus inclusion diseases.

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