UMMS Affiliation
RNA Therapeutics Institute; Program in Molecular Medicine
Publication Date
10-1-2013
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Asymmetric Cell Division
Disciplines
Biochemistry | Cell Biology | Cellular and Molecular Physiology | Genetic Processes | Molecular Biology | Molecular Genetics
Abstract
C. elegans, with its invariant cell lineage, provides a powerful model system in which to study signaling-dependent asymmetric cell division. The C. elegans β-catenin-related protein, WRM-1, specifies endoderm at the 4-cell stage during the first cell signaling-induced asymmetric cell division of embryogenesis. During this interaction, Wnt signaling and the cell cycle regulator CDK-1 act together to induce the asymmetric cortical release of WRM-1 at prophase of the EMS cell cycle. Genetic studies suggest that release of WRM-1 unmasks a cortical site that drives EMS spindle rotation onto the polarized axis of the cell, simultaneously making WRM-1 available for nuclear translocation, and downstream signaling to specify endoderm. These studies suggest a general paradigm for how cortical factors like WRM-1 can function at the cell cortex to mask potentially confounding polarity cues, and when released with appropriate cell cycle timing, can also function downstream to define cell fate.
Rights and Permissions
This is an open-access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. The article may be redistributed, reproduced, and reused for non-commercial purposes, provided the original source is properly cited.
DOI of Published Version
10.4161/worm.26276
Source
Ishidate T, Kim S, Mello CC, Shirayama M. Inductive asymmetric cell division: The WRM leads the way. Worm 2013; 2:e26276; http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/worm.26276
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Worm
Related Resources
PubMed ID
24524013
Repository Citation
Ishidate, Takao; Kim, Soyoung; Mello, Craig C.; and Shirayama, Masaki, "Inductive asymmetric cell division: The WRM leads the way" (2013). Program in Molecular Medicine Publications and Presentations. 15.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/pmm_pp/15
Included in
Biochemistry Commons, Cell Biology Commons, Cellular and Molecular Physiology Commons, Genetic Processes Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, Molecular Genetics Commons