Epithelial biology: lessons from Caenorhabditis elegans.
Epithelial cells are essential and abundant in all multicellular animals where their dynamic cell shape changes orchestrate morphogenesis of the embryo and individual organs. Genetic analysis in the simple nematode Caenorhabditis elegans provides some clues to the mechanisms that are involved in specifying epithelial cell fates and in controlling specific epithelial processes such as junction assembly, trafficking or cell fusion and cell adhesion. Here we review recent findings concerning C. elegans epithelial cells, focusing in particular on epithelial polarity, and transcriptional control.
Michaux
G
G
Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS /INSERM /ULP, BP. 163, F-67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
Legouis
R
R
Labouesse
M
M
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental