Squeezing an egg into a worm: C. elegans embryonic morphogenesis.
We review key morphogenetic events that occur during Caenorhabditis elegans (www.wormbase.org/) embryogenesis. Morphogenesis transforms tissues from one shape into another through cell migrations and shape changes, often utilizing highly conserved actin-based contractile systems. Three major morphogenetic events occur during C. elegans embryogenesis: (1) dorsal intercalation, during which two rows of dorsal epidermal cells intercalate to form a single row; (2) ventral enclosure, where the dorsally located sheet of epidermal cells stretches to the ventral midline, encasing the embryo within a single epithelial sheet; and (3) elongation, during which actin-mediated contractions within the epithelial sheet lengthens the embryo. Here, we describe the known molecular players involved in each of these processes.
Piekny
A J
AJ
Genes and Development Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1. piekny@imp.univie.ac.at
Mains
P E
PE
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology*; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology