title: Cell cycle-dependent sequencing of cell fate decisions in Caenorhabditis elegans vulva precursor cells.
abstract: In Caenorhabditis elegans, the fates of the six multipotent vulva precursor cells (VPCs) are specified by extracellular signals. One VPC expresses the primary (1 degrees ) fate in response to a Ras-mediated inductive signal from the gonad. The two VPCs flanking the 1 degrees cell each express secondary (2 degrees ) fates in response to lin-12-mediated lateral signaling. The remaining three VPCs each adopt the non-vulval tertiary (3 degrees ) fate. Here I describe experiments examining how the selection of these vulval fates is affected by cell cycle arrest and cell cycle-restricted lin-12 activity. The results suggest that lin-12 participates in two developmental decisions separable by cell cycle phase: lin-12 must act prior to the end of VPC S phase to influence a 1 degrees versus 2 degrees cell fate choice, but must act after VPC S phase to influence a 3 degrees versus 2 degrees cell fate choice. Coupling developmental decisions to cell cycle transitions may provide a mechanism for prioritizing or ordering choices of cell fates for multipotential cells.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. victor.ambros@dartmouth.edu
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Ambros
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000494:pharmacology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D016196:S Phase; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D014844:Vulva / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; C082460:Lin-12 protein, C elegans; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D006918:Hydroxyurea