Developmental Determinants in Embryos of Caenorhabditis elegans
Wood, W.B.; Laufer, J.S.; Strome, S.
Journal of Nematology 14(2): 267-273
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-300X PMID: 19295708 Document Number: 185029
Breeding experiments with embryonic lethal mutants of C. elegans show that abnormal embryogenesis often results from defective gene function in the maternal parent, suggesting that much of the information for normal embryonic development is laid down during oogenesis. Analysis of the gut-specific differentiation marker in cleavage-arrested embryos has provided evidence that the potential for this differentiation behaves as a cell-autonomous internally segregating developmental determinant, which is present from the 2-cell stage onward and is partitioned into the gut precursor cell during early cleavage divisions. Visible prelocalized cytoplasmic granules that segregate with a particular cell lineage have been observed in the embryonic germline precursor cells by fluorescent antibody staining. It is suggested that these granules may play a role in germline determination. [AS].