MEX-5 enrichment in the C. elegans early embryo mediated by differential diffusion.

Development
Brian R DanielsDenis Wirtz

Abstract

Specification of germline and somatic cell lineages in C. elegans originates in the polarized single-cell zygote. Several cell-fate determinants are partitioned unequally along the anterior-posterior axis of the zygote, ensuring the daughter cells a unique inheritance upon asymmetric cell division. Recent studies have revealed that partitioning of the germline determinant PIE-1 and the somatic determinant MEX-5 involve protein redistribution accompanied by spatiotemporal changes in protein diffusion rates. Here, we characterize the dynamics of MEX-5 in the zygote and propose a novel reaction/diffusion model to explain both its anterior enrichment and its remarkable intracellular dynamics without requiring asymmetrically distributed binding sites. We propose that asymmetric cortically localized PAR proteins mediate the anterior enrichment of MEX-5 by reversibly changing its diffusion rate at spatially distinct points in the embryo, thus generating a stable concentration gradient along the anterior-posterior axis of the cell. This work extends the scope of reaction/diffusion models to include not only germline morphogens, but also somatic determinants.

References

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Citations

Nov 26, 2010·Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology·Juergen A Knoblich
Apr 19, 2013·Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology·Carsten Hoege, Anthony A Hyman
Sep 29, 2011·Dalton Transactions : an International Journal of Inorganic Chemistry·Jamie L MichalekSarah L J Michel
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Aug 25, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Alicia G GubiedaJosana Rodriguez
Sep 6, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Andrew W Folkmann, Geraldine Seydoux
Jun 6, 2018·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Saroj Kumar Nandi, Sam A Safran
Jul 26, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Youjun WuErik E Griffin
Feb 9, 2021·Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology·Amelia J Kim, Erik E Griffin
Feb 18, 2021·Bulletin of Mathematical Biology·Sungrim Seirin-Lee
Sep 10, 2013·Physical Review Letters·Chiu Fan LeeFrank Jülicher
Mar 28, 2013·Development·Patrick MüllerAlexander F Schier

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