Caenorhabditis elegans morphogenesis: the role of the cytoskeleton in elongation of the embryo

Developmental Biology
J R Priess, D I Hirsh

Abstract

During development Caenorhabditis elegans changes from an embryo that is relatively spherical in shape to a long thin worm. This paper provides evidence that the elongation of the body is caused by the outermost layer of embryonic cells, the hypodermis, squeezing the embryo circumferentially. The hypodermal cells surround the embryo and are linked together by cellular junctions. Numerous circumferentially oriented bundles of microfilaments are present at the outer surfaces of the hypodermal cells as the embryo elongates. Elongation is associated with an apparent pressure on the internal cells of the embryo, and cytochalasin D reversibly inhibits both elongation and the increase in pressure. Circumferentially oriented microtubules also are associated with the outer membranes of the hypodermal cells during elongation. Experiments with the microtubule inhibitors colcemid, griseofulvin, and nocodazole suggest that the microtubules function to distribute across the membrane stresses resulting from microfilament contraction, such that the embryo decreases in circumference uniformly during elongation. While the cytoskeletal organization of the hypodermal cells appears to determine the shape of the embryo during elongation, an extracel...Continue Reading

References

Sep 1, 1979·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·E WulfT Wieland
Mar 1, 1977·Developmental Biology·J E Sulston, H R Horvitz
Apr 15, 1977·Journal of Molecular Biology·J WehlandK Weber
Mar 1, 1976·Developmental Biology·D Hirsh, R Vanderslice
Oct 1, 1976·The Journal of Cell Biology·J B Tucker, M Meats
May 1, 1974·Genetics·S Brenner
Jan 1, 1974·International Review of Cytology·L A Staehelin
Nov 1, 1971·Developmental Biology·B Burnside
Nov 1, 1983·Developmental Biology·J E SulstonJ N Thomson
Jan 1, 1984·Developmental Biology·D G Albertson
Jun 1, 1982·The Journal of Cell Biology·J V KilmartinC Milstein
Nov 1, 1980·Cell·T E Kreis, W Birchmeier
Aug 1, 1980·Developmental Biology·J E Sulston, J G White
Jul 30, 1981·Developmental Biology·G M OdellB Burnside
Jul 1, 1981·The Journal of Cell Biology·G N CoxR S Edgar
Sep 1, 1981·Cell·M Schliwa

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 3, 2001·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·J S Simske, J Hardin
Feb 13, 2001·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·G H Thomas
Sep 1, 1994·Developmental Dynamics : an Official Publication of the American Association of Anatomists·H van der KeylM K Edwards
Mar 1, 1995·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·M Krause
Jan 1, 1990·Developmental Genetics·J Manser, W B Wood
May 10, 1995·Molecular & General Genetics : MGG·D V ClarkD L Baillie
Jan 1, 1988·Tissue & Cell·D Fristrom
Dec 5, 2000·Trends in Genetics : TIG·I D Chin-Sang, A D Chisholm
Oct 17, 2001·Gene·G MichauxM Labouesse
Oct 6, 1999·Current Opinion in Cell Biology·U Tepass
Jul 2, 2003·Nature Cell Biology·Ulrich Tepass
Jun 24, 2003·Nature Cell Biology·Jeffrey S SimskeJeff Hardin
Feb 7, 2009·Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology·Michele A Wozniak, Christopher S Chen
Apr 26, 2000·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·K Van AukenW B Wood
Nov 1, 1987·The Journal of Cell Biology·A A Hyman, J G White
Aug 1, 1991·The Journal of Cell Biology·R J Barstead, R H Waterston
Apr 22, 2005·Molecular Biology of the Cell·Greg J HermannJames R Priess
Jan 19, 2007·Molecular Biology of the Cell·Tamar GattegnoBenjamin Podbilewicz
Jan 29, 2010·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Erik J Ragsdale, James G Baldwin
Aug 7, 2009·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·P CiarlettaM Labouesse
Dec 29, 2000·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·R KellerP Skoglund
Jan 13, 2010·Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology·Edwin Munro, Bruce Bowerman
Jul 27, 2002·Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology·Frieder Schock, Norbert Perrimon
Sep 21, 2011·EvoDevo·Jens Schulze, Einhard Schierenberg

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.