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Review
. 2019 Mar 20;7(1):6.
doi: 10.3390/jdb7010006.

Regulation of Actin Dynamics in the C. elegans Somatic Gonad

Charlotte A Kelley  1 , Erin J Cram  2
Affiliations
Review

Regulation of Actin Dynamics in the C. elegans Somatic Gonad

Charlotte A Kelley et al. J Dev Biol. .

Abstract

The reproductive system of the hermaphroditic nematode C. elegans consists of a series of contractile cell types-including the gonadal sheath cells, the spermathecal cells and the spermatheca⁻uterine valve-that contract in a coordinated manner to regulate oocyte entry and exit of the fertilized embryo into the uterus. Contraction is driven by acto-myosin contraction and relies on the development and maintenance of specialized acto-myosin networks in each cell type. Study of this system has revealed insights into the regulation of acto-myosin network assembly and contractility in vivo.

Keywords: C. elegans; actin cytoskeleton; contractility; sheath; spermatheca.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Actin networks in the C. elegans somatic gonad. (A). Diagrammatic representation of the C. elegans gonadal anatomy. Sheath cells are outlined in orange and oocytes are in grey. (B). Phalloidin stain of a dissected C. elegans gonad, demonstrating the actin structures observed in the sheath, spermatheca, and spermathecal–uterine (sp–ut) valve. Scale bar 20 micrometers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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