| Abstract | Shortly after fertilization, single cell embryos of the nematode worm C.elegans have a symmetric protein distribution on the cortex, a thin, actin rich layer below the cell membrane. In response to some currently unknown cue, the cell begins a reorganization of proteins and cellular structures, including the cortex, transforming the cell to a highly polarized configuration with distinct biochemical domains at the anterior and posterior poles. In this talk, I will present a model of interactions between the actin cortex and Par proteins, which are asymmetrically localized in the polarized embryo. Small perturbations in the Par protein distribution in one area of the cell may be sufficient for symmetry breaking and the initiation of polarization in the embryo. I will discuss possible biological mechanisms that could give rise to these perturbations, and their significance for the initiation of polarization and cytoskeletal reorganization at the single cell stage. |
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