Cell and molecular transitions during efficient dedifferentiation.

Dedifferentiation is a critical response to tissue damage, yet is not well understood, even at a basic phenomenological level. Developing cells undergo highly efficient dedifferentiation, completed by most cells within 24 hr. We use this rapid response to investigate the control features of dedifferentiation, combining single cell imaging with high temporal resolution transcriptomics.

A cell size threshold limits cell polarity and asymmetric division potential.

Reaction-diffusion networks underlie pattern formation in a range of biological contexts, from morphogenesis of organisms to the polarisation of individual cells. One requirement for such molecular networks is that output patterns be scaled to system size. At the same time, kinetic properties of constituent molecules constrain the ability of networks to adapt to size changes.

Regulated Activation of the PAR Polarity Network Ensures a Timely and Specific Response to Spatial Cues.

How do cells polarize at the correct time and in response to the correct cues? In the C. elegans zygote, the timing and geometry of polarization rely on a single dominant cue-the sperm centrosome-that matures at the end of meiosis and specifies the nascent posterior. Polarization requires that the conserved PAR proteins, which specify polarity in the zygote, be poised to respond to the centrosome.