Microtubules are involved in anterior-posterior axis formation in C. elegans embryos.

ABSTRACT: Microtubules deliver positional signals and are required for establishing polarity in many different organisms and cell types. In Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, posterior polarity is induced by an unknown centrosome-dependent signal. Whether microtubules are involved in this signaling process has been the subject of controversy. Although early studies supported such an involvement (O'Connell, K.F., K.N. Maxwell, and J.G. White. 2000. Dev. Biol. 222:55-70; Wallenfang, M.R., and G. Seydoux. 2000. Nature. 408:89-92; Hamill, D.R., A.F. Severson, J.C. Carter, and B. Bowerman. 2002. Dev. Cell. 3:673-684), recent work involving RNA interference knockdown of tubulin led to the conclusion that centrosomes induce polarity independently of microtubules (Cowan, C.R., and A.A. Hyman. 2004. Nature. 431

SUBMITTER: Tsai MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2064787 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature