Determination of the cleavage plane in early C. elegans embryos

Annual Review of Genetics
Matilde Galli, Sander van den Heuvel

Abstract

Cells split in two at the final step of each division cycle. This division normally bisects through the middle of the cell and generates two equal daughters. However, developmental signals can change the plane of cell cleavage to facilitate asymmetric segregation of fate determinants and control the position and relative sizes of daughter cells. The anaphase spindle instructs the site of cell cleavage in animal cells, hence its position is critical in the regulation of symmetric vs asymmetric cell division. Studies in a variety of models identified evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that control spindle positioning. However, how the spindle determines the cleavage site is poorly understood. Recent results in Caenorhabditis elegans indicate dual functions for a Galpha pathway in positioning the spindle and cleavage furrow. We review asymmetric division of the C. elegans zygote, with a focus on microtubule-cortex interactions that position the spindle and cleavage plane.

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Citations

Mar 27, 2010·Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS·Thomas Müller-ReichertMartin Srayko
Aug 23, 2011·Nature Cell Biology·Matilde GalliSander van den Heuvel
Aug 13, 2013·Nature Cell Biology·Jerome EzanMireille Montcouquiol
Jan 13, 2010·Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology·Edwin Munro, Bruce Bowerman
Feb 10, 2011·Development·Jeremy Nance, Jennifer A Zallen
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Jul 6, 2010·Current Biology : CB·Daniel KammererDimitris Liakopoulos
Aug 9, 2011·Current Biology : CB·Taryn E Gillies, Clemens Cabernard
Dec 15, 2010·Developmental Cell·Marvin E Tanenbaum, René H Medema
Jul 19, 2011·Developmental Cell·Xavier Morin, Yohanns Bellaïche
May 23, 2012·Developmental Biology·Eugenel B EspirituLesilee S Rose
May 28, 2016·Science·Carlos Garzon-CoralJonathon Howard
Oct 7, 2016·PLoS Genetics·Vincent PortegijsSander van den Heuvel
Aug 26, 2016·Molecular Biology of the Cell·Megan M GnazzoAhna R Skop
Oct 21, 2016·Biophysical Journal·Jacques PécréauxJonathon Howard
Jul 10, 2018·ELife·Andrea Serra-Marques, Sophie Dumont
Jan 20, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Kenji SugiokaHitoshi Sawa
Jul 26, 2017·The Journal of Cell Biology·Ruben SchmidtSander van den Heuvel
Nov 20, 2015·Bioscience Reports·Shaowei YangXiaobing Fu
May 14, 2010·Development·François ProdonAlex McDougall
Apr 20, 2021·Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology·Tomomi Kiyomitsu, Susan Boerner

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
fluorescence microscopy
GTPase
GTPases
nucleotide exchange

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