Cellular and axonal migrations are misguided along both body axes in the maternal-effect mau-2 mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans.
We have characterized the mau-2 mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans and found that migrating cells and axons are mispositioned along both the antero-posterior and dorsoventral body axes. This is in contrast to previously characterized guidance mutations in Caenorhabditis and in Drosophila, which have been found to be axis-specific. Two observations suggest that mau-2 acts very early during development: most behavioral phenotypes of mau-2 can be rescued by a maternal effect, and variations in expressivity involve an entire body side at a time. The possibility that mau-2 is involved in the spatial organization of guidance cues encoded by other genes is discussed.
Takagi
S
S
Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Bénard
C
C
Pak
J
J
Livingstone
D
D
Hekimi
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D005260:Female; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000502:physiology*; D005804:Genes, Lethal / Q000502:physiology; D006066:Gonads / Q000166:cytology; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva; D008648:Mesoderm; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C107581:UNC-31 protein, C elegans