Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for stem cell biology.

TitleCaenorhabditis elegans as a model for stem cell biology.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsJoshi PM, Riddle MR, Djabrayan NJV, Rothman JH
JournalDev Dyn
Volume239
Issue5
Pagination1539-54
Date Published2010 May
ISSN1097-0177
KeywordsAnimals, Caenorhabditis elegans, Cell Lineage, Germ Cells, Stem Cells
Abstract

We review the application of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system to understand key aspects of stem cell biology. The only bona fide stem cells in C. elegans are those of the germline, which serves as a valuable paradigm for understanding how stem-cell niches influence maintenance and differentiation of stem cells and how somatic differentiation is repressed during germline development. Somatic cells that share stem cell-like characteristics also provide insights into principles in stem-cell biology. The epidermal seam cell lineages lend clues to conserved mechanisms of self-renewal and expansion divisions. Principles of developmental plasticity and reprogramming relevant to stem-cell biology arise from studies of natural transdifferentiation and from analysis of early embryonic progenitors, which undergo a dramatic transition from a pluripotent, reprogrammable condition to a state of committed differentiation. The relevance of these developmental processes to our understanding of stem-cell biology in other organisms is discussed.

DOI10.1002/dvdy.22296
Alternate JournalDev. Dyn.
PubMed ID20419785
PubMed Central IDPMC3142749
Grant ListR01 HD062922 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
R01 HD062922-02 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States