The polarization of the embryonic axes is a key event in embryogenesis, being one of the earliest manifestations of the shape and form of the organism. The acquisition of polarity by individual blastomeres is one of the earliest indicators of commitment to a particular pathway of differentiation. These phenomena have been studied in the development of C. elegans both at the cellular and organismal level. This review summarizes what is known about how polarity is established in the blastomeres of this organism, how the division axes of polarized cells are determined, and how the embryonic axes are set up.

Keywords:
C. elegans. cell polarity, blastomere, embryonic axis formation
© The Company of Biologists Limited 1993
1993
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