title: Determinants of blastomere identity in the early C. elegans embryo.
abstract: Genetic and molecular studies of development in Caenorhabditis elegans have identified regulators that appear to control pattern formation in the cellularized nematode embryo. Two genes, skn-1 and pie-1, are required for specifying the different identities of two sister blastomeres in a 4-cell embryo, called P2 and EMS. The skn-1 gene encodes a DNA binding protein that may control blastomere development by regulating transcription in EMS and its descendants. ABa and ABp, the other two sisters in a 4-cell embryo, are influenced to develop differently by cell signaling events that require the two genes apx-1 and glp-1. In this review, I summarize evidence that some or all of these genes may encode embryonic determinants of blastomere identity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bowerman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins