scholarly journals Determination of cell division axes in the early embryogenesis of Caenorhabditis elegans.

1987 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 2123-2135 ◽  
Author(s):  
A A Hyman ◽  
J G White

The establishment of cell division axes was examined in the early embryonic divisions of Caenorhabditis elegans. It has been shown previously that there are two different patterns of cleavage during early embryogenesis. In one set of cells, which undergo predominantly determinative divisions, the division axes are established successively in the same orientation, while division axes in the other set, which divide mainly proliferatively, have an orthogonal pattern of division. We have investigated the establishment of these axes by following the movement of the centrosomes. Centrosome separation follows a reproducible pattern in all cells, and this pattern by itself results in an orthogonal pattern of cleavage. In those cells that divide on the same axis, there is an additional directed rotation of pairs of centrosomes together with the nucleus through well-defined angles. Intact microtubules are required for rotation; rotation is prevented by inhibitors of polymerization and depolymerization of microtubules. We have examined the distribution of microtubules in fixed embryos during rotation. From these and other data we infer that microtubules running from the centrosome to the cortex have a central role in aligning the centrosome-nuclear complex.

Genetics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Desai ◽  
H R Horvitz

Abstract We have isolated and characterized 45 Caenorhabditis elegans mutants presumed to be defective in the functioning of the hermaphrodite-specific neurons (HSNs). Like hermaphrodites that lack the HSN motor neurons, these mutants are egg-laying defective and do not lay eggs in response to exogenous imipramine but do lay eggs in response to exogenous serotonin. Twenty of the 45 mutations define 10 new egl genes; the other 25 mutations are alleles of five previously defined genes, four of which are known to affect the HSNs. Seven mutations in three genes cause the HSNs to die in hermaphrodites, as they normally do in males. These genes appear to be involved in the determination of the sexual phenotype of the HSNs, and one of them (egl-41) is a newly identified gene that may function generally in sex determination. Five of the 15 genes are defined only by mutations that have dominant effects on egg laying. One gene egl(n1108), is defined by a temperature-sensitive allele that has a temperature-sensitive period after HSN development is complete, suggesting that egl(n1108) may be involved in HSN synaptic transmission. Four of the genes are defined by single alleles, which suggests that other such genes remain to be discovered. Mutations in no more than 4 of the 15 genes specifically affect the HSNs, indicating that there are few genes with functions needed only in this single type of nerve cell.


2013 ◽  
Vol 201 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Kress ◽  
Françoise Schwager ◽  
René Holtackers ◽  
Jonas Seiler ◽  
François Prodon ◽  
...  

Coordination of cell cycle events in space and time is crucial to achieve a successful cell division. Here, we demonstrate that UBXN-2, a substrate adaptor of the AAA ATPase Cdc48/p97, is required to coordinate centrosome maturation timing with mitosis. In UBXN-2–depleted Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, centrosomes recruited more AIR-1 (Aurora A), matured precociously, and alignment of the mitotic spindle with the axis of polarity was impaired. UBXN-2 and CDC-48 coimmunoprecipitated with AIR-1 and the spindle alignment defect was partially rescued by co-depleting AIR-1, indicating that UBXN-2 controls these processes via AIR-1. Similarly, depletion in human cells of the UBXN-2 orthologues p37/p47 resulted in an accumulation of Aurora A at centrosomes and a delay in centrosome separation. The latter defect was also rescued by inhibiting Aurora A. We therefore postulate that the role of this adaptor in cell cycle regulation is conserved.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi V. Liu

ABSTRACTCell lineage analysis holds important stakes for understanding heredity and cell differentiation. Conventional cell lineages are reconstructed according to a cell division doctrine of one mother cell dividing into two daughter cells. An alternative cell lineage reconstruction method followed a cell reproduction discovery of multiple daughter cells reproduced from a same mother cell. To see which reconstruction method reflects reality of early embryogenesis of Caenorhabditis elegans, a side-by-side comparison was made between two methods. Here I show cell division-based lineage distorted reality and failed in revealing any true genealogy. Cell reproduction – based lineage conformed to reality with exact same number of cells in every developmental stage under examination and showed clear genealogical relationship. A paradigm-shift from cell division-to cell reproduction-based cell lineage analysis is necessary for correct understanding of developmental biology and will lead to a revolution in cell biology and life science.


Author(s):  
D.R. Rasmussen ◽  
N.-H. Cho ◽  
C.B. Carter

Domains in GaAs can exist which are related to one another by the inversion symmetry, i.e., the sites of gallium and arsenic in one domain are interchanged in the other domain. The boundary between these two different domains is known as an antiphase boundary [1], In the terminology used to describe grain boundaries, the grains on either side of this boundary can be regarded as being Σ=1-related. For the {110} interface plane, in particular, there are equal numbers of GaGa and As-As anti-site bonds across the interface. The equilibrium distance between two atoms of the same kind crossing the boundary is expected to be different from the length of normal GaAs bonds in the bulk. Therefore, the relative position of each grain on either side of an APB may be translated such that the boundary can have a lower energy situation. This translation does not affect the perfect Σ=1 coincidence site relationship. Such a lattice translation is expected for all high-angle grain boundaries as a way of relaxation of the boundary structure.


Author(s):  
Y. Ishida ◽  
H. Ishida ◽  
K. Kohra ◽  
H. Ichinose

IntroductionA simple and accurate technique to determine the Burgers vector of a dislocation has become feasible with the advent of HVEM. The conventional image vanishing technique(1) using Bragg conditions with the diffraction vector perpendicular to the Burgers vector suffers from various drawbacks; The dislocation image appears even when the g.b = 0 criterion is satisfied, if the edge component of the dislocation is large. On the other hand, the image disappears for certain high order diffractions even when g.b ≠ 0. Furthermore, the determination of the magnitude of the Burgers vector is not easy with the criterion. Recent image simulation technique is free from the ambiguities but require too many parameters for the computation. The weak-beam “fringe counting” technique investigated in the present study is immune from the problems. Even the magnitude of the Burgers vector is determined from the number of the terminating thickness fringes at the exit of the dislocation in wedge shaped foil surfaces.


1962 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 434-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmond R Cole ◽  
Ewa Marciniak ◽  
Walter H Seegers

SummaryTwo quantitative procedures for autoprothrombin C are described. In one of these purified prothrombin is used as a substrate, and the activity of autoprothrombin C can be measured even if thrombin is in the preparation. In this procedure a reaction mixture is used wherein the thrombin titer which develops in 20 minutes is proportional to the autoprothrombin C in the reaction mixture. A unit is defined as the amount which will generate 70 units of thrombin in the standardized reaction mixture. In the other method thrombin interferes with the result, because a standard bovine plasma sample is recalcified and the clotting time is noted. Autoprothrombin C shortens the clotting time, and the extent of this is a quantitative measure of autoprothrombin C activity.


1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (02) ◽  
pp. 563-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Hellstern ◽  
K Schilz ◽  
G von Blohn ◽  
E Wenzel

SummaryAn assay for rapid factor XIII activity measurement has been developed based on the determination of the ammonium released during fibrin stabilization. Factor XIII was activated by thrombin and calcium. Ammonium was measured by an ammonium-sensitive electrode. It was demonstrated that the assay procedure yields accurate and precise results and that factor XIII-catalyzed fibrin stabilization can be measured kinetically. The amount of ammonium released during the first 90 min of fibrin stabilization was found to be 7.8 ± 0.5 moles per mole fibrinogen, which is in agreement with the findings of other authors. In 15 normal subjects and in 15 patients suffering from diseases with suspected factor XIII deficiency there was a satisfactory correlation between the results obtained by the “ammonium-release-method”, Bohn’s method, and the immunological assay (r1 = 0.65; r2= 0.70; p<0.01). In 3 of 5 patients with paraproteinemias the values of factor XIII activity determined by the ammonium-release method were markedly lower than those estimated by the other methods. It could be shown that inhibitor mechanisms were responsible for these discrepancies.


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