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.

OOC-3, a novel putative transmembrane protein required for establishment of cortical domains and spindle orientation in the P(1) blastomere of C. elegans embryos

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (10) ◽  
pp. 2063-2073 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Pichler ◽  
P. Gonczy ◽  
H. Schnabel ◽  
A. Pozniakowski ◽  
A. Ashford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Par Proteins ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Divisions ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Membrane Compartment ◽  
Chromosome Ii

Asymmetric cell divisions require the establishment of an axis of polarity, which is subsequently communicated to downstream events. During the asymmetric cell division of the P(1) blastomere in C. elegans, establishment of polarity depends on the establishment of anterior and posterior cortical domains, defined by the localization of the PAR proteins, followed by the orientation of the mitotic spindle along the previously established axis of polarity. To identify genes required for these events, we have screened a collection of maternal-effect lethal mutations on chromosome II of C. elegans. We have identified a mutation in one gene, ooc-3, with mis-oriented division axes at the two-cell stage. Here we describe the phenotypic and molecular characterization of ooc-3. ooc-3 is required for the correct localization of PAR-2 and PAR-3 cortical domains after the first cell division. OOC-3 is a novel putative transmembrane protein, which localizes to a reticular membrane compartment, probably the endoplasmic reticulum, that spans the whole cytoplasm and is enriched on the nuclear envelope and cell-cell boundaries. Our results show that ooc-3 is required to form the cortical domains essential for polarity after cell division.

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 When fate follows age: unequal centrosomes in asymmetric cell division

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1650) ◽  
pp. 20130466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Reina ◽  
Cayetano Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Functional Implications ◽  
Different Cell Types ◽  
Review Current

A strong correlation between centrosome age and fate has been reported in some stem cells and progenitors that divide asymmetrically. In some cases, such stereotyped centrosome behaviour is essential to endow stemness to only one of the two daughters, whereas in other cases causality is still uncertain. Here, we present the different cell types in which correlated centrosome age and fate has been documented, review current knowledge on the underlying molecular mechanisms and discuss possible functional implications of this process.

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.

scholarly journals C. elegans Runx/CBFβ suppresses POP-1(TCF) to convert asymmetric to proliferative division of stem cell-like seam cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne E. M. van der Horst ◽  
Janine Cravo ◽  
Alison Woollard ◽  
Juliane Teapal ◽  
Sander van den Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Self Renewal ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Cell Divisions ◽  
Seam Cell ◽  
Asymmetric Divisions

ABSTRACTA correct balance between proliferative and asymmetric cell divisions underlies normal development, stem cell maintenance and tissue homeostasis. What determines whether cells undergo symmetric or asymmetric cell division is poorly understood. To gain insight in the mechanisms involved, we studied the stem cell-like seam cells in the Caenorhabditis elegans epidermis. Seam cells go through a reproducible pattern of asymmetric divisions, instructed by non-canonical Wnt/β-catenin asymmetry signaling, and symmetric divisions that increase the seam cell number. Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, we show that symmetric cell divisions maintain the asymmetric localization of Wnt/β-catenin pathway components. Observations based on lineage-specific knockout and GFP-tagging of endogenous pop-1 support the model that POP-1TCF induces differentiation at a high nuclear level, while low nuclear POP-1 promotes seam cell self-renewal. Before symmetric division, the transcriptional regulator rnt-1Runx and cofactor bro-1CBFβ temporarily bypass Wnt/β-catenin asymmetry by downregulating pop-1 expression. Thereby, RNT-1/BRO-1 appears to render POP-1 below the level required for its repressor function, which converts differentiation into self-renewal. Thus, opposition between the C. elegans Runx/CBFβ and TCF stem-cell regulators controls the switch between asymmetric and symmetric seam cell division.

scholarly journals A new role for Notch in the control of polarity and asymmetric cell division of developing T cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirren Charnley ◽  
Mandy Ludford-Menting ◽  
Kim Pham ◽  
Sarah M. Russell
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Notch Signalling ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Different Cell Types

AbstractA fundamental question in biology is how single cells can reliably produce progeny of different cell types. Notch signalling frequently facilitates fate determination. Asymmetric cell division (ACD) often controls segregation of Notch signalling by imposing unequal inheritance of regulators of Notch. Here, we assessed the functional relationship between Notch and ACD in mouse T cell development. To attain immunological specificity, developing T cells must pass through a pivotal stage termed β-selection, which involves Notch signalling and ACD. We assessed functional interactions between Notch and ACD during β-selection using direct presentation of Notch ligands, DL1 and DL4, and pharmacological inhibition of Notch signalling. Contrary to prevailing models, we find Notch controls distribution of Notch1 itself and cell fate determinants, α-Adaptin and Numb. Notch and CXCR4 signalling cooperated to drive polarity during division. Thus, Notch signalling directly orchestrates ACD, and Notch1 is differentially inherited by sibling cells.

scholarly journals To Divide or Invade: A Look Behind the Scenes of the Proliferation-Invasion Interplay in the Caenorhabditis elegans Anchor Cell

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Lattmann ◽  
Ting Deng ◽  
Alex Hajnal
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Invasion ◽  
Malignant Tumors ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Basement Membranes ◽  
The Body ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Anchor Cell ◽  
Different Cell Types

Cell invasion is defined by the capability of cells to migrate across compartment boundaries established by basement membranes (BMs). The development of complex organs involves regulated cell growth and regrouping of different cell types, which are enabled by controlled cell proliferation and cell invasion. Moreover, when a malignant tumor takes control over the body, cancer cells evolve to become invasive, allowing them to spread to distant sites and form metastases. At the core of the switch between proliferation and invasion are changes in cellular morphology driven by remodeling of the cytoskeleton. Proliferative cells utilize their actomyosin network to assemble a contractile ring during cytokinesis, while invasive cells form actin-rich protrusions, called invadopodia that allow them to breach the BMs. Studies of developmental cell invasion as well as of malignant tumors revealed that cell invasion and proliferation are two mutually exclusive states. In particular, anchor cell (AC) invasion during Caenorhabditis elegans larval development is an excellent model to study the transition from cell proliferation to cell invasion under physiological conditions. This mini-review discusses recent insights from the C. elegans AC invasion model into how G1 cell-cycle arrest is coordinated with the activation of the signaling networks required for BM breaching. Many regulators of the proliferation-invasion network are conserved between C. elegans and mammals. Therefore, the worm may provide important clues to better understand cell invasion and metastasis formation in humans.

A Deficiency Screen for Zygotic Loci Required for Establishment and Patterning of the Epidermis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 146 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M Terns ◽  
Peggy Kroll-Conner ◽  
Jiangwen Zhu ◽  
Sooyoun Chung ◽  
Joel H Rothman
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Epidermal Cells ◽  
Epidermal Differentiation ◽  
Apparent Effect ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Seam Cell ◽  
Genomic Regions ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans Genome

To identify genomic regions required for establishment and patterning of the epidermis, we screened 58 deficiencies that collectively delete at least ∼67% of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome. The epidermal pattern of deficiency homozygous embryos was analyzed by examining expression of a marker specific for one of the three major epidermal cell types, the seam cells. The organization of the epidermis and internal organs was also analyzed using a monoclonal antibody specific for epithelial adherens junctions. While seven deficiencies had no apparent effect on seam cell production, 21 were found to result in subnormal, and five in excess numbers of these cells. An additional 23 deficiencies blocked expression of the seam cell marker, in some cases without preventing cell proliferation. Two deficiencies result in multinucleate seam cells. Deficiencies were also identified that result in subnormal numbers of epidermal cells, hyperfusion of epidermal cells into a large syncytium, or aberrant epidermal differentiation. Finally, analysis of internal epithelia revealed deficiencies that cause defects in formation of internal organs, including circularization of the intestine and bifurcation of the pharynx lumen. This study reveals that many regions of the C. elegans genome are required zygotically for patterning of the epidermis and other epithelia.

scholarly journals A phenomenological density-scaling approach to lamellipodial actin dynamics

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 20140006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Lewalle ◽  
Marco Fritzsche ◽  
Kerry Wilson ◽  
Richard Thorogate ◽  
Tom Duke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Function ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Actin Dynamics ◽  
Theoretical Modelling ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Genetic Intervention ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Observable Behaviour ◽  
Different Cell Types

The integration of protein function studied in vitro in a dynamic system like the cell lamellipodium remains a significant challenge. One reason is the apparent contradictory effect that perturbations of some proteins can have on the overall lamellipodium dynamics, depending on exact conditions. Theoretical modelling offers one approach for understanding the balance between the mechanisms that drive and regulate actin network growth and decay. Most models use a ‘bottom-up’ approach, involving explicitly assembling biochemical components to simulate observable behaviour. Their correctness therefore relies on both the accurate characterization of all the components and the completeness of the relevant processes involved. To avoid potential pitfalls due to this uncertainty, we used an alternative ‘top-down’ approach, in which measurable features of lamellipodium behaviour, here observed in two different cell types (HL60 and B16-F1), directly inform the development of a simple phenomenological model of lamellipodium dynamics. We show that the kinetics of F-actin association and dissociation scales with the local F-actin density, with no explicit location dependence. This justifies the use of a simplified kinetic model of lamellipodium dynamics that yields predictions testable by pharmacological or genetic intervention. A length-scale parameter (the lamellipodium width) emerges from this analysis as an experimentally accessible probe of network regulatory processes.

scholarly journals The Actin-Binding Protein UNC-115/abLIM Controls Formation of Lamellipodia and Filopodia and Neuronal Morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 5158-5170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yieyie Yang ◽  
Erik A. Lundquist
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Phosphorylation Site ◽  
Serine Phosphorylation ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Axon Pathfinding ◽  
Neuronal Morphogenesis ◽  
Actin Binding Protein ◽  
C Elegans

ABSTRACT The roles of actin-binding proteins in development and morphogenesis are not well understood. The actin-binding protein UNC-115 has been implicated in cytoskeletal signaling downstream of Rac in Caenorhabditis elegans axon pathfinding, but the cellular role of UNC-115 in this process remains undefined. Here we report that UNC-115 overactivity in C. elegans neurons promotes the formation of neurites and lamellipodial and filopodial extensions similar to those induced by activated Rac and normally found in C. elegans growth cones. We show that UNC-115 activity in neuronal morphogenesis is enhanced by two molecular mechanisms: when ectopically driven to the plasma membrane by the myristoylation sequence of c-Src, and by mutation of a putative serine phosphorylation site in the actin-binding domain of UNC-115. In support of the hypothesis that UNC-115 modulates actin cytoskeletal organization, we show that UNC-115 activity in serum-starved NIH 3T3 fibroblasts results in the formation of lamellipodia and filopodia. We conclude that UNC-115 is a novel regulator of the formation of lamellipodia and filopodia in neurons, possibly in the growth cone during axon pathfinding.

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