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The First Cell Cycle of the Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo: Spatial and Temporal Control of an Asymmetric Cell Division

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Cell Cycle in Development

Part of the book series: Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation ((RESULTS))

Abstract

Throughout the development of an organism, it is essential that the cell cycle machinery is fine-tuned to generate cells of different fate. A series of asymmetric cell divisions leads to lineage specification. The Caenorhabditis elegans embryo is an excellent system to study various aspects of the early embryonic cell cycle. The invariant nature of the rapid cell divisions is the key feature for studying the effects of small perturbations to a complex process such as the cell cycle. The thorough characterization of the asymmetric first cell division of the C. elegans embryo has given great insight on how the oscillations of the cell cycle coordinate with the cytoplasmic rearrangements that ultimately lead to two developmentally distinct daughter cells.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank members of the Hyman Lab for helpful discussions and inspiration, especially Nathan W. Goehring, Carsten Hoege, and Mark Leaver for critical reading of the manuscript. We acknowledge the Max Planck Society for funding.

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  1. Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany

    Maria L. Begasse & Anthony A. Hyman

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  1. Maria L. Begasse
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  2. Anthony A. Hyman
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Correspondence to Anthony A. Hyman .

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  1. CNRS UMR 6061, Fac. Médecine, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes CX, 35043, France

    Jacek Z. Kubiak

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Begasse, M.L., Hyman, A.A. (2011). The First Cell Cycle of the Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo: Spatial and Temporal Control of an Asymmetric Cell Division. In: Kubiak, J. (eds) Cell Cycle in Development. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19065-0_6

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