The plasma membrane of excitable cells is highly structured and molecular scaffolds recruit proteins to specific membrane compartments. Here, we show that potassium channels and proteins belonging to the dystrophin-associated protein complex define multiple types of planar-polarized membrane compartments at the surface of C. elegans muscle cells. Surprisingly, conserved planar cell polarity proteins are not required for this process. However, we implicate a Wnt signaling module involving the Wnt ligand EGL-20, the Wnt receptor CAM-1, and the intracellular effector DSH-1/disheveled in the formation of this cell polarity pattern. Moreover, using time-resolved and tissue-specific protein degradation, we demonstrate that muscle cell polarity is a dynamic state, requiring continued presence of DSH-1 throughout post-embryonic life. Our results reveal the intricate, highly reproducible, and entirely unsuspected complexity of the worm's sarcolemma. This novel case of planar cell polarity in a tractable genetic model organism may provide valuable insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate cellular organization, allowing specific functions to be compartmentalized within distinct plasma membrane domains.
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