A network model for the specification of vulval precursor cells and cell fusion control in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: The vulva of Caenorhabditis elegans has been long used as an experimental model of cell differentiation and organogenesis. While it is known that the signaling cascades of Wnt, Ras/MAPK, and NOTCH interact to form a molecular network, there is no consensus regarding its precise topology and dynamical properties. We inferred the molecular network, and developed a multivalued synchronous discrete dynamic model to study its behavior. The model reproduces the patterns of activation reported for the following types of cell: vulval precursor, first fate, second fate, second fate with reversed polarity, third fate, and fusion fate. We simulated the fusion of cells, the determination of the first, second, and third fates, as well as the transition from the second to the first fate. We also used th

SUBMITTER: Weinstein N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3682179 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature