"
cup-5 mutant coelomocytes display enlarged vacuoles with properties of late endosome-lysosome hybrid organelles due to a defect in the reformation of lysosomes from the hybrid organelles (Piper and Luzio, 2004; Treusch et_al, 2004). If
arl-8 would promote fusion between late endosomes and lysosomes,
arl-8 would be required for formation of the enlarged vacuoles in
cup-5 mutants. Consistent with this prediction, formation of the enlarged vacuoles of
cup-5(
ar465) mutants was strongly suppressed by the
arl-8(
tm2504) mutation (Figure 8A). The same results were obtained using the
cup-5 null allele
n3194, the quantification of which is shown in Figure 8B. ASP-1::mCherry localized primarily to enlarged vacuoles in
cup-5 mutants, whereas it localized to a subpopulation of small compartments in
cup-5;
arl-8 mutant coelomocytes as observed in
arl-8 mutants."