Vulval development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a beautifully simple system for asking how cells choose between different possible fates [1]. Vulval fate patterning involves just seven cells: a signaling cell (the anchor cell), which initiates vulval fate induction, and six vulval precursor cells which can respond to that inductive signal by generating vulval descendants (Figure 1)...

Dermatol Sinica, December 2005 From the Department of Dermatology, Taipei Medical University Hospital and Taipei Medical University Taipei Municipal WanFang Hospital* Accepted for publication: August 12, 2005 Reprint requests: Kuo-Liang Cheng, Department of Dermatology, Taipei Medical University Taipei Municipal Wan-Fang Hospital,* 111 Hsin-Long Rd, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. TEL: 886-2-...

The Caenorhabditis elegans gene lin-36 acts to antagonize Ras-mediated vulval induction in a pathway that includes genes with products similar to the mammalian retinoblastoma (Rb) protein and the Rb-binding protein p48. We report that lin-36 encodes a novel protein of 962 amino acids. We demonstrate that lin-36 functions in and is expressed in the vulval precursor cells, establishing that the l...

We previously identified Caenorhabditis elegans mutants in which certain of the six vulval precursor cells adopt fates normally expressed by other vulval precursor cells. These mutants define genes that appear to function in the response to an intercellular signal that induces vulval development. The multivulva (Muv) phenotype of one such mutant, CB1322, results from an interaction between two ...

The let-23 gene, which encodes a putative tyrosine kinase of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor subfamily, has multiple functions during Caenorhabditis elegans development. We show that let-23 function is required for vulval precursor cells (VPCs) to respond to the signal that induces vulval differentiation: a complete loss of let-23 function results in no induction. However, some let-2...

Morphogenesis represents a phase of development during which cell fates are executed. The conserved hox genes are key cell fate determinants during metazoan development, but their role in controlling organ morphogenesis is less understood. Here, we show that the C. elegans hox gene lin-39 regulates epidermal morphogenesis via its novel target, the essential zinc finger protein VAB-23. During th...