title: Multiple intercellular signalling systems control the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans vulva.
abstract: Developmental, genetic and molecular studies indicate that multiple intercellular signalling systems interact to specify the types and spatial patterns of cells generated during the formation of the vulva of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Two classes of evolutionarily conserved transmembrane receptors and a Ras protein function in these signalling systems. The biology of vulval development provides a framework for understanding how cell interactions control the development of animals as diverse as nematodes, insects and mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Horvitz
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Sternberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004627:Embryonic Induction; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005796:Genes; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014844:Vulva / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins