the PHA-4 Gene is Required to Generate the Pharyngeal Primordium of Caenorhabditis-Elegans

S E. Mango
E. J. Lambie
J Kimble

S E Mango;E J Lambie;J Kimble

Abstract

In the 4-cell Caenorhabditis elegans embryo, two blas tomeres are destined to generate pharyngeal cells, each by a distinct developmental strategy: one pathway is inductive, while the other is autonomous. Here, we identify the pha-4 locus. In animals lacking pha-4 activity, an early step in pharyngeal organogenesis is blocked: no pharyngeal primordium is formed and differentiated pharyngeal cells are absent. Most other tissues are generated normally in pha-4 mutants, including cells related to p