CMMB 403 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: John Sulston, Model Organism, Multicellular Organism
24 Nov 2018
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Symmetry-breaking: par proteins polarize the zygote and establish the anterior-posterior axis in the c. elegans embryo. Autonomous vs conditional specification in the early c. elegans embryo. Autonomous, signals released from within the cell, causing the cell to specialize. Conditions, cell fate determined by signals released from other cells. Many of their genes have homologs in humans. Many important discoveries, that have been recognized to be fundamental in biology, were first made in c. elegans. 1970s c. elegans developed as a model organism. To identify each gene involved in development. Trace the lineage of each and every cell. Small number of chromosomes (compact genome), so they"re easier to work with. Small number of cells (959 somatic cells) and mostly invariant cell lineage. Invariant means that each cell gives rise to the same type and number of cells in every embryo. Transparent cuticle can see cells divide, without manipulation. Very easy to see what"s going on.
