Browsing by Author "Drewnik, Elizabeth Daisy"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Tissue-Specific Regulation of Contraction and Elongation in the C. elegans Early Embryo
    (2018-08-20) Drewnik, Elizabeth Daisy; Mains, Paul E.; McGhee, James D.; Brook, William J.; Cobb, John A.
    Morphogenesis, a key feature of embryonic development, is driven by actin cytoskeleton contraction. Actin and myosin activity promote elongation of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo from a ball of cells to a tubular worm. I used mutants in the elongation/contraction pathway to assess tissue-specific requirements of components regulating the contractile pathway. Contraction occurs mainly in the lateral embryonic epidermal cells, while the dorsoventral epidermal cells play a more passive role. Elongation is regulated by Rho kinase/LET-502, p-21 activating kinase/PAK-1, and myosin phosphatase/MEL-11. Though it is known that LET-502 and MEL-11 are expressed throughout the epidermis, in which cells the genes are necessary or sufficient is unknown. I used transgenic animals and body length measurements to show that LET-502 is sufficient in lateral but not dorsoventral cells, and that PAK-1 and MEL-11 are not sufficient in either lateral or dorsovetnral cells.