scholarly journals 08-P003 Regulation of asymmetric cell division by Wnt signaling through asymmetric spindle microtubules in Caenorhabditis elegans

2009 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. S144-S145
Author(s):  
Kenji Sugioka ◽  
Hitoshi Sawa
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Spindle Microtubules

scholarly journals Roles of Actin in the Morphogenesis of the Early Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3652
Author(s):  
Dureen Samandar Eweis ◽  
Julie Plastino
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Actin Dynamics ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Divisions ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Asymmetric Divisions ◽  
Different Cell Types

The cell shape changes that ensure asymmetric cell divisions are crucial for correct development, as asymmetric divisions allow for the formation of different cell types and therefore different tissues. The first division of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo has emerged as a powerful model for understanding asymmetric cell division. The dynamics of microtubules, polarity proteins, and the actin cytoskeleton are all key for this process. In this review, we highlight studies from the last five years revealing new insights about the role of actin dynamics in the first asymmetric cell division of the early C. elegans embryo. Recent results concerning the roles of actin and actin binding proteins in symmetry breaking, cortical flows, cortical integrity, and cleavage furrow formation are described.

scholarly journals MAP Kinase Signaling Antagonizes PAR-1 Function During Polarization of the Early Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo

Genetics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 183 (3) ◽  
pp. 965-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annina C. Spilker ◽  
Alexia Rabilotta ◽  
Caroline Zbinden ◽  
Jean-Claude Labbé ◽  
Monica Gotta
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Asymmetric Distribution ◽  
Kinase Signaling ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Map Kinase Signaling

PAR proteins (partitioning defective) are major regulators of cell polarity and asymmetric cell division. One of the par genes, par-1, encodes a Ser/Thr kinase that is conserved from yeast to mammals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, par-1 governs asymmetric cell division by ensuring the polar distribution of cell fate determinants. However the precise mechanisms by which PAR-1 regulates asymmetric cell division in C. elegans remain to be elucidated. We performed a genomewide RNAi screen and identified six genes that specifically suppress the embryonic lethal phenotype associated with mutations in par-1. One of these suppressors is mpk-1, the C. elegans homolog of the conserved mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK. Loss of function of mpk-1 restored embryonic viability, asynchronous cell divisions, the asymmetric distribution of cell fate specification markers, and the distribution of PAR-1 protein in par-1 mutant embryos, indicating that this genetic interaction is functionally relevant for embryonic development. Furthermore, disrupting the function of other components of the MAPK signaling pathway resulted in suppression of par-1 embryonic lethality. Our data therefore indicates that MAP kinase signaling antagonizes PAR-1 signaling during early C. elegans embryonic polarization.

scholarly journals The Role of Cytoplasmic MEX-5/6 Polarity in Asymmetric Cell Division

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungrim Seirin-Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Mother Cell ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Cytoplasmic Protein ◽  
Cell Geometry

AbstractIn the process of asymmetric cell division, the mother cell induces polarity in both the membrane and the cytosol by distributing substrates and components asymmetrically. Such polarity formation results from the harmonization of the upstream and downstream polarities between the cell membrane and the cytosol. MEX-5/6 is a well-investigated downstream cytoplasmic protein, which is deeply involved in the membrane polarity of the upstream transmembrane protein PAR in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. In contrast to the extensive exploration of membrane PAR polarity, cytoplasmic polarity is poorly understood, and the precise contribution of cytoplasmic polarity to the membrane PAR polarity remains largely unknown. In this study, we explored the interplay between the cytoplasmic MEX-5/6 polarity and the membrane PAR polarity by developing a mathematical model that integrates the dynamics of PAR and MEX-5/6 and reflects the cell geometry. Our investigations show that the downstream cytoplasmic protein MEX-5/6 plays an indispensable role in causing a robust upstream PAR polarity, and the integrated understanding of their interplay, including the effect of the cell geometry, is essential for the study of polarity formation in asymmetric cell division.

Multiple levels of regulation specify the polarity of an asymmetric cell division in C. elegans

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (21) ◽  
pp. 4587-4598 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Whangbo ◽  
J. Harris ◽  
C. Kenyon
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Epidermal Cell ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Divisions ◽  
Signaling Systems ◽  
Tissue Polarity ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Cell Divisions ◽  
A Cell

Wnt signaling systems play important roles in the generation of cell and tissue polarity during development. We describe a Wnt signaling system that acts in a new way to orient the polarity of an epidermal cell division in C. elegans. In this system, the EGL-20/Wnt signal acts in a permissive fashion to polarize the asymmetric division of a cell called V5. EGL-20 regulates this polarization by counteracting lateral signals from neighboring cells that would otherwise reverse the polarity of the V5 cell division. Our findings indicate that this lateral signaling pathway also involves Wnt pathway components. Overexpression of EGL-20 disrupts both the asymmetry and polarity of lateral epidermal cell divisions all along the anteroposterior (A/P) body axis. Together our findings suggest that multiple, inter-related Wnt signaling systems may act together to polarize asymmetric cell divisions in this tissue.

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