Development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is highly reproducible and the fate of every somatic cell has been reported. We describe here a previously uncharacterized cell fate in C. elegans: we show that germ cells, which in hermaphrodites can differentiate into sperm and oocytes, also undergo apoptotic cell death. In adult hermaphrodites, over 300 germ cells die, using the same apoptotic execution machinery (ced-3, ced-4 and ced-9) as the previously described 131 somatic cell deaths. However, this machinery is activated by a distinct pathway, as loss of egl-1 function, which inhibits somatic cell death, does not affect germ cell apoptosis. Germ cell death requires ras/MAPK pathway activation and is used to maintain germline homeostasis. We suggest that apoptosis eliminates excess germ cells that acted as nurse cells to provide cytoplasmic components to maturing oocytes.
Genetic control of programmed cell death in the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite germline
T.L. Gumienny, E. Lambie, E. Hartwieg, H.R. Horvitz, M.O. Hengartner; Genetic control of programmed cell death in the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite germline. Development 1 March 1999; 126 (5): 1011–1022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.126.5.1011
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Our successful webinar series continues in 2021, with early-career researchers presenting their papers and a chance to virtually network with the developmental biology community afterwards. Here, Krisztina Ötvös tells us about the role link between nitrogen, auxin and root cell divisions.
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The people behind the papers - Vincent Mouilleau, Célia Vaslin and Stéphane Nedelec
First authors, Vincent Mouilleau and Célia Vaslin, and their supervisor Stéphane Nedelec, talk about their latest work on HOX regulation, its potential clinical impact and where the story will take the Nedelec lab.
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The Immune System in Development and Regeneration
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