Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER THREE
Control of Cell Polarity and
Asymmetric Division in C. elegans
Hitoshi Sawa 1
Multicellular Organization Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Japan
1 Corresponding author: e-mail address: hisawa@nig.ac.jp
Contents
1. Cortical Asymmetry of Wnt Signaling Components
56
2. Connecting Cell Cortex to Nuclei
58
3. Asymmetric Regulation of Transcription in Nuclei
59
4. Spindle Orientation and MTOC Positioning
61
5. Wnts Instructively Orient Polarity of the EMS and T Cells
62
6. Coordination of Spindle Orientation by MOM-2/Wnt
63
7. Coordination of Asymmetric Cell Divisions During Embryogenesis
65
8. Coordination of Asymmetric Cell Divisions During Postembryonic Development
67
9. Polarity Reversal in Normal Development
69
10. Functions of PCP Components in C. elegans
70
11. Summary and Perspective
72
Acknowledgments
73
References
73
Abstract
During development of Caenorhabditis elegans, most somatic cells divide asymmetri-
cally to produce daughter cells with distinct fates. A Wnt signaling pathway called
Wnt/ b -catenin asymmetry pathway controls both polarity of mother cells and distinct
fates of daughter cells. Unlike the PCP pathway that regulates cell polarity in other
organisms, this Wnt pathway in C. elegans requires b -catenin. However, similar to the
PCP pathway, signaling components including Dishevelled proteins are asymmetrically
localized to the cell cortex. I will review current knowledge about the mechanism of this
regulation and how the orientation of cell polarity is controlled by Wnt proteins.
 
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