Principles of PAR polarity in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos

Abstract

A hallmark of cell polarity in metazoans is the distribution of partitioning defective (PAR) proteins into two domains on the membrane. Domain boundaries are set by the collective integration of mechanical, biochemical and biophysical signals, and the resulting PAR domains define areas of cytosol specialization. However, the complexity of the signals acting on PAR proteins has been a barrier to uncovering the general principles of PAR polarity. We propose that physical studies, when combined with genetic data, provide new understanding of the mechanisms of polarity establishment in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo and other organisms.

Single-molecule analysis of cell surface dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos

“…These differences are thought to be caused by more rapid dissociation of Par-6 in the posterior 30 . However, anterior vs posterior differences in dissociation rate cannot be detected by conventional FRAP analysis because the densities of Par-6 in the posterior are too low.…”

Self-organization and advective transport in the cell polarity formation for asymmetric cell division

“…Accumulation of molecular knowledge and development of imaging technologies enable us to study how these proteins are coordinated to establish and maintain asymmetry formation in individual cells (Betschinger and Knoblich, 2004;Hoege and Hyman, 2013). Mathematical studies for the bifurcation structure of cell polarity models also suggest that the properties of bistability and mass conservation are sufficient for inducing symmetry breaking and cell polarity formation (Mori et al, 2011;Trong et al, 2014).…”

In Vivo Interaction Proteomics in Caenorhabditis elegans Embryos Provides New Insights into P Granule Dynamics

“…A wellknown example is the interaction between the scaffold proteins PAR-3 and PAR-6 with the atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) PKC-3, whose family members are required to establish polarity across the animal kingdom (10,11). In C. elegans embryos, this polarity pathway induces the asymmetric distribution of microscopically visible aggregates of RNAs and proteins, so called P granules.…”