Caenorhabditis elegans par genes

What are they? Six par genes (par-1 through par-6) have been identified in Caenorhabditis elegans. Loss-of-function mutations in any par locus results in loss of anterior–posterior (AP) asymmetries during the first two embryonic cell divisions. This results in a failure to restrict developmental regulators to specific embryonic cells, mitotic spindle orientation defects and abnormal cell fate patterning. In sum, the par genes appear responsible for establishing asymmetries that define the AP body axis in C. elegans.