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PubMed2006

Developmental changes in Ca2+-regulated functions of early postnatal Purkinje neurons.

Ca(2+) influx through L-type Ca(2+) channels regulates several different cellular processes in developing Purkinje neurons, including activation of transcription factors and expression of cellular proteins. In the current studies, we examined the age dependence of these actions of Ca(2+) during the early developmental period. Purkinje neurons acutely isolated from postnatal day 4-8 rat pups were studied. We also examined the sensitivity of the Ca(2+)-regulated processes to a toxic environmental factor (ethanol) known to show age-dependent actions on developing Purkinje neurons. Results show that Ca(2+) activation of the transcription factor cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) and Ca(2+)-induced alterations in the level of the apoptotic enzyme caspase 3 show both dose and age dependence in the early-developing Purkinje neurons. Interestingly, the age dependence was opposite for the two proteins. Ca(2+) regulation of calbindin, a Ca(2+) binding protein, was dose dependent but showed little age dependence. Exposure to ethanol altered Ca(2+) activation of pCREB in an age-dependent manner but did not alter Ca(2+) regulation of caspase 3 or calbindin levels. Taken together, these results show that the downstream effects of Ca(2+) signaling have age-dependent components during early Purkinje neuron development. This age dependence may play an important role in the normal developmental program and could contribute to the critical window of sensitivity observed for certain toxic agents during early development.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2006

Neuronal precursors within the adult rat subventricular zone differentiate into dopaminergic neurons after substantia nigra lesion and chromaffin cell transplant.

Neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain continues in the subventricular zone (SVZ). Neuronal precursors from the SVZ migrate along the rostral migratory stream to replace olfactory bulb interneurons. After the destruction of the nigro-striatal pathway (SN-lesion), some SVZ precursors begin to express tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and neuronal markers (NeuN). Grafting of chromaffin cells (CCs) into the denervated striatum increases the number of TH+ cells (SVZ TH+ cells; Arias-Carrión et al., 2004). This study examines the functional properties of these newly differentiating TH+ cells. Under whole-cell patch-clamp, most SVZ cells recorded from lesioned and grafted animals (either TH+ or TH-) were non-excitable. Nevertheless, a small percentage of SVZ TH+ cells had the electrophysiologic phenotype of mature dopaminergic neurons and showed spontaneous postsynaptic potentials. Dopamine (DA) release was measured in SVZ and striatum from both control and SN-lesioned rats. As expected, 12 weeks after SN lesion, DA release decreased drastically. Nevertheless, 8 weeks after CCs graft, release from the SVZ of SN-lesioned rats recovered, and even surpassed that from control SVZ, suggesting that newly formed SVZ TH+ cells release DA. This study shows for the first time that in response to SN-lesions and CC grafts neural precursors within the SVZ change their developmental program, by not only expressing TH, but more importantly by acquiring excitable properties of mature dopaminergic neurons. Additionally, the release of DA in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner and the attraction of synaptic afferents from neighboring neuronal networks gives further significance to the overall findings, whose potential importance is discussed.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1991

Hypothyroidism reduces the rate of slow component A (SCa) axonal transport and the amount of transported tubulin in the hyt/hyt mouse optic nerve.

Thyroid hormone deficiency in the developing brain leads to disorders of neuronal process growth. This is evidenced by reduced axonal and dendritic size and complexity (Garza et al.: Developmental Brain Research 43:287-297, 1988; Ruiz-Marcos: Iodine and the Brain. New York: Plenum Press, pp 91-102, 1989). These findings may be related to alterations in the neuronal cytoskeleton in hypothyroidism, such as reduced or abnormal microtubular number and density (Faivre et al.: Developmental Brain Research 8: 21-30, 1983), and altered assembly, stabilization, and composition of microtubule protein in the hypothyroid brain. Neurofilaments also contribute to axonal caliber and process stability. Similar to microtubules, certain properties of neurofilaments are altered in developing hypothyroid axons (Marc and Rabie: International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience 3: 353-358, 1985; Faivre et al.: Developmental Brain Research 8:21-30, 1983) that may affect axonal caliber and process stability. Normal process growth is predicted on formation of appropriate numbers of microtubules and on the normal synthesis and axonal transport of cytoskeletal components [tubulin, microtubule associated proteins (MAPs), and neurofilament proteins]. Hypothyroidism might alter the neuronal cytoskeleton and neuronal growth either by affecting the developmental programs for expression of specific isoforms of cytoskeletal proteins or by changing the delivery of cytoskeletal proteins via slow axonal transport, particularly slow component a (SCa). Previous studies had demonstrated changes in the amount of specific microtubule protein isoforms and mRNAs (Stein et al.: Iodine and the Brain. New York: Plenum Press, pp 59-78, 1989a). To further elucidate the molecular basis for process growth abnormalities in the hypothyroid brain, we investigated slow axonal transport in the mouse to determine the effects of thyroid hormone deficiency on the rate and composition of SCa. Comparisons of SCa in the optic nerve of hyt/hyt hypothyroid mouse and euthyroid hyt/+ littermates and euthyroid progenitor strain, BALB/cBY +/+ mice, indicated that the velocity of SCa was significantly reduced in hyt/hyt optic nerve relative to hyt/+ and +/+. The axonal transport rate for tubulin, which is carried in SCa, was 0.118 mm/day in the hyt/hyt optic nerves. This rate was significantly different for the tubulin rates for the hyt/+ optic nerves (0.127 mm/day) and for the +/+ optic nerves (0.138 mm/day). Neurofilament proteins, as measured by the 140,000 daltons component, NFM, also appeared to be reduced in velocity in the hyt/hyt versus the hyt/+ and +/+ optic nerves.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Actins↗

PubMed1994

Stage-specific appearance of the mouse antigen TEC-3 in normal and nuclear transfer bovine embryos: re-expression after nuclear transfer.

Bovine embryos, recovered from the uterus in vivo or derived from in vitro matured and in vitro fertilized oocytes, were investigated for the presence of the developmentally regulated mouse antigen TEC-3 by indirect immunofluorescence. During preimplantation embryo development TEC-3 is expressed on bovine morulae and blastocysts. It is absent from unfertilized and fertilized oocytes, and from all stages before the 32-cell stage. The finding that TEC-3 is not expressed before the onset of embryonic transcription, which occurs at the eight-cell stage in the bovine, but only when the embryonic genome is active, makes it a potential marker for studying nuclear reprogramming after nuclear transfer. Nuclear transfer embryos were made by electrical fusion of blastomeres from morulae derived in vivo with enucleated metaphase II oocytes. Indirect immunofluorescence with the TEC-03 antibody showed that the TEC-3 antigen, present on blastomeres of the morula stage embryo, disappeared after fusion and was expressed again when the nuclear transfer embryos developed to the morula and blastocyst stage. These data suggest that the bovine embryonic nucleus may be able to revert to the equivalent of an earlier developmental stage when transferred to ooplasm, and is then capable of following the normal developmental program.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Molecular architecture of the neuromuscular junction.

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a complex structure that serves to efficiently communicate the electrical impulse from the motor neuron to the skeletal muscle to signal contraction. Over the last 200 years, technological advances in microscopy allowed visualization of the existence of a gap between the motor neuron and skeletal muscle that necessitated the existence of a messenger, which proved to be acetylcholine. Ultrastructural analysis identified vesicles in the presynaptic nerve terminal, which provided a beautiful structural correlate for the quantal nature of neuromuscular transmission, and the imaging of synaptic folds on the muscle surface demonstrated that specializations of the underlying protein scaffold were required. Molecular analysis in the last 20 years has confirmed the preferential expression of synaptic proteins, which is guided by a precise developmental program and maintained by signals from nerve. Although often overlooked, the Schwann cell that caps the NMJ and the basal lamina is proving to be critical in maintenance of the junction. Genetic and autoimmune disorders are known that compromise neuromuscular transmission and provide further insights into the complexities of NMJ function as well as the subtle differences that exist among NMJ that may underlie the differential susceptibility of muscle groups to neuromuscular transmission diseases. In this review we summarize the synaptic physiology, architecture, and variations in synaptic structure among muscle types. The important roles of specific signaling pathways involved in NMJ development and acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering are reviewed. Finally, genetic and autoimmune disorders and their effects on NMJ architecture and neuromuscular transmission are examined.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Pre-/post-otic rhombomeric interactions control the emergence of a fetal-like respiratory rhythm in the mouse embryo.

How regional patterning of the neural tube in vertebrate embryos may influence the emergence and the function of neural networks remains elusive. We have begun to address this issue in the embryonic mouse hindbrain by studying rhythmogenic properties of different neural tube segments. We have isolated pre- and post-otic hindbrain segments and spinal segments of the mouse neural tube, when they form at embryonic day (E) 9, and grafted them into the same positions in stage-matched chick hosts. Three days after grafting, in vitro recordings of the activity in the cranial nerves exiting the grafts indicate that a high frequency (HF) rhythm (order: 10 bursts/min) is generated in post-otic segments while more anterior pre-otic and more posterior spinal territories generate a low frequency (LF) rhythm (order: 1 burst/min). Comparison with homo-specific grafting of corresponding chick segments points to conservation in mouse and chick of the link between the patterning of activities and the axial origin of the hindbrain segment. This HF rhythm is reminiscent of the respiratory rhythm known to appear at E15 in mice. We also report on pre-/post-otic interactions. The pre-otic rhombomere 5 prevents the emergence of the HF rhythm at E12. Although the nature of the interaction with r5 remains obscure, we propose that ontogeny of fetal-like respiratory circuits relies on: (i) a selective developmental program enforcing HF rhythm generation, already set at E9 in post-otic segments, and (ii) trans-segmental interactions with pre-otic territories that may control the time when this rhythm appears.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1986

Neuroeffectors for vocalization in Xenopus laevis: hormonal regulation of sexual dimorphism.

South African clawed frogs use sex-specific vocalizations during courtship. In the male, vocalizations are under the control of gonadal androgen. Though females have moderate levels of circulating androgen, they do not give male-typical mate calls. Both muscles of the vocal organ and neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) vocal pathway are sexually dimorphic and androgen-sensitive. Recent studies suggest that the failure of androgen to masculinize adult females results from a male-specific, androgen-regulated developmental program. At metamorphosis the larynx is sexually monomorphic and feminine in morphology, muscle fiber number and androgen receptor content. During the next six months, under the influence of increasing androgen titers and high receptor levels, myoblasts proliferate in the male and muscle fibers increase at an average rate of 100/day. Females have much lower hormone levels, receptor values decline and they display no net addition of fibers. At metamorphosis, both males and females have approximately 4000 muscle fibers. By adulthood, males have eight times the female fiber number. In the CNS, adult laryngeal motor neurons are more numerous with larger somata and dendritic trees in males than in females. Certain connections of neurons in the vocal pathway are also less robust in females. Unlike the periphery, motor neuron number does not appear to be established by androgen-induced proliferation. Our current hypothesis is that androgen acts at the level of laryngeal muscle to produce more muscle fibers and thus provide more target for motor neurons in the male. This process could regulate cell number by ontogenetic cell death. In the CNS, androgen-target neurons become capable of accumulating hormone shortly before metamorphosis. Androgen receptor in laryngeal motor neurons may permit the dendritic growth characteristic of males by increasing sensitivity to afferent stimuli. Such a process could account for the observed differences in CNS vocal "circuitry" in X. laevis and thus behavioral differences between the sexes.

Afferent Pathways↗

PubMed2006

Systems level analysis of protein synthesis patterns associated with bacterial growth and metabolic transitions.

Gene expression databases, acquired by proteomics and transcriptomics, describe physiological and developmental programs at the systems level. Here we analyze proteosynthetic profiles in a bacterium undergoing defined metabolic changes. Streptomyces coelicolor cultured in a defined liquid medium displays four distinct patterns of gene expression associated with growth on glutamate, diauxic transition, and growth on maltose and ammonia that terminates by starvation for nitrogen and entry into stationary phase. Principal component and fuzzy cluster analyses of the proteome database of 935 protein spot profiles revealed principal kinetic patterns. Online linkage of the proteome database (SWICZ) to a protein-function database (KEGG) revealed limited correlations between expression profiles and metabolic pathway activities. Proteins belonging to principal metabolic pathways defined characteristic kinetic profiles correlated with the physiological state of the culture. These analyses supported the concept that metabolic flux was regulated not by individual enzymes but rather by groups of enzymes whose synthesis responded to changes in nutritional conditions. Higher-level regulation is reflected by the distribution of all kinetic profiles into only nine groups. The observation that enzymes representing principal metabolic pathways displayed their own distinctive average kinetic profiles suggested that expression of a "high-flux backbone" may dominate regulation of metabolic flux.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2026

Doublesex gene influences sex differentiation and embryonic development in predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis.

BACKGROUND: Phytoseiulus persimilis is an effective biocontrol agent characterized by paternal genome elimination (PGE), an unusual reproductive system in which males eliminate the paternal genome during embryogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying sex determination and reproductive regulation in this species remain poorly understood. RESULTS: Transcriptome-based analyses identified two doublesex (dsx) homologs, Ppdsx1 and Ppdsx2, as candidate regulators of reproduction. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) assigned Ppdsx2 to a pre-mating-associated co-expression module enriched for reproductive and signaling pathways. Functional analyses revealed clear divergence between the two genes. RNA interference (RNAi) of Ppdsx1 reduced the proportion of female offspring, whereas RNAi of Ppdsx2 induced sex reversal, developmental abnormalities, and impaired egg viability. Yeast two-hybrid and glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays further demonstrated interactions between Dsx proteins and vitellogenin (Vg)-derived fragments identified from a complementary DNA (cDNA) library screen, suggesting a previously unrecognized connection between sex determination and reproductive nutrient allocation. CONCLUSIONS: Ppdsx1 contributes to maintenance of the female developmental pathway, whereas Ppdsx2 represents a strong candidate component of the PGE-associated sex-determination cascade. The observed Dsx-Vg fragment interaction suggests a potential link between reproductive developmental programs and nutrient allocation pathways. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of sex determination and reproductive regulation in phytoseiid mites and establish a foundation for future studies on the coupling of reproductive development and resource allocation. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Epigenetic Reprogramming and Zygotic Genome Activation in Human Preimplantation Development: Mechanisms, Models, and Translational Prospects.

PURPOSE: Early human embryogenesis unfolds through a tightly coupled sequence of events-clearance of maternal transcripts, remodeling of parental chromatin, zygotic genome activation (ZGA), lineage segregation, implantation, and post-implantation patterning-accompanied by epigenetic reprogramming, including X-chromosome dosage compensation around the time of implantation. This review aims to synthesize recent advances in understanding this developmental program and to consider their implications for reproductive medicine. METHODS: I review recent literature on human early embryogenesis, with particular emphasis on findings enabled by single-cell genomics and stem-cell-based embryo modeling, and integrate these insights to identify human-specific features of early development. RESULTS: These approaches have made previously inaccessible aspects of human early embryogenesis experimentally tractable, revealing molecular and epigenetic features that distinguish human development from that of model organisms, including species-specific dynamics of ZGA, maternal transcript clearance, chromatin reprogramming, and X-chromosome dosage compensation. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in single-cell genomics and embryo modeling are transforming our understanding of human early embryogenesis. Building on these insights, while recognizing their current limitations, I propose a vision for improving reproductive medicine, including the potential for next-generation embryo selection strategies.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

Purification and molecular analysis of an extracellular gamma-glutamyl hydrolase present in young tissues of the soybean plant.

A polypeptide present in intercellular wash fluids of young leaves of Glycine max has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The protein has been identified as gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH) based on the shared homology with a recently cloned cDNA from rat. The enzyme is present within the extracellular space of young leaves and a portion is bound to the cell wall. Northern and Western analysis confirm that this polypeptide is expressed only in young (1-15 d old) leaf, stem and root tissue and is therefore expressed under a strict developmental program. The primary sequence of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase shares amino acid identity with a cDNA clone from rat and two partially sequenced cDNAs from Arabidopsis. Although the complete in vivo function of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase in plants is unclear, it is known that the protein plays a critical role in folate metabolism and therefore likely in meeting the physiological demands of growing plant tissues.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed1997

Tyrosine kinase signaling at fertilization.

The unfertilized egg is a highly differentiated cell that retains unlimited developmental potential. The execution of that potential requires signal transduction pathways that release the egg from its quiescent metabolic state, direct the union of the maternal and paternal genome, and initiate a developmental program that will guide embryogenesis. The egg is equipped with an array of cytosolic as well as cell surface receptor protein tyrosine kinases as part of a preassembled signal transduction mechanism. These protein tyrosine kinases have been found to act at several points during this egg activation process, beginning as early as the initial sperm-egg interaction. While many of these kinase functions are common to all cells, several functions unique to fertilization demonstrate the versatility of this class of protein kinases.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

A numerical approach to the study of spatial pattern formation in the ligaments of arcoid bivalves.

In this paper, we employ the novel application of a reaction-diffusion model on a growing domain to examine growth patterns of the ligaments of arcoid bivalves (marine molluscs) using realistic growth functions. Solving the equations via a novel use of the finite element method on a moving mesh, we show how a reaction-diffusion model can mimic a number of different ligament growth patterns with modest changes in the parameters. Our results imply the existence of a common mode of ligament pattern formation throughout the Arcoida. Consequently, arcoids that share a particular pattern cannot be assumed, on this basis alone, to share an immediate common ancestry. Strikingly different patterns within the set can easily be generated by the same developmental program. We further show how the model can be used to make quantitatively testable predictions with biological implications.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Promiscuous germination and growth of wildtype pollen from Arabidopsis and related species on the shoot of the Arabidopsis mutant, fiddlehead.

When pollen lands upon the stigmatic surface of a receptive flower, recognition events take place that permit germination, pollen tube growth, and tube penetration into the cell walls of the stigmatic papillae. Previously, we have described a mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, named fiddlehead (fdh), where noncarpel organs of the shoot fuse late in ontogeny (Lolle et al., 1992). Here we demonstrate that wildtype Arabidopsis pollen grows on noncarpel organs of the fdh mutant. Pollen grains adhere, germinate, and emit pollen tubes when applied to vegetative and nonreproductive floral organs. Some of the emergent pollen tubes penetrate into the cell wall. Although pollen from a number of closely related species responds, tomato, tobacco, and snapdragon pollen does not. In addition, we show that organ fusion is not a prerequisite for pollen growth and that root epidermis does not express this activity. Based on these findings we propose that the fdh mutation identifies an important regulatory gene that controls the expression of an epidermis-specific developmental program normally expressed only during gynoecial ontogeny.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed1993

Temporal regulation of Drosophila imaginal disc morphogenesis: a hierarchy of primary and secondary 20-hydroxyecdysone-responsive loci.

The release of 20-hydroxyecdysone at the end of the third larval instar provides a temporal signal that triggers specific developmental programs in hormone target tissues in Drosophila at metamorphosis. Imaginal discs respond to the steroid hormone by initiating morphogenesis leading to the formation of the adult head structures, appendages, and thoracic epidermis. The cellular events of morphogenesis are preceded and accompanied by 20-hydroxyecdysone-dependent activation of a set of genes encoding Inducible Membrane-bound Polysomal transcripts, the IMP-genes. Analysis of expression characteristics in imaginal discs cultured in vitro reveals that the IMP-E1 gene is expressed within 15-30 min after exposure to 20-hydroxyecdysone while the expression of the IMP-L1 gene is delayed 6-8 hr. Induction studies in the presence of cycloheximide establish that IMP-E1 is a primary response locus while IMP-L1 transcription is a secondary response. These genes are regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Differences between the induction characteristics of IMP-E1 and the early 20-hydroxyecdysone-responsive gene E74 lead us to propose an addition to the Ashburner model for the 20-hydroxyecdysone regulatory hierarchy. We suggest that the sequential temporal expression of steroid hormone-responsive genes in imaginal discs is important in organizing cellular mechanisms involved in morphogenesis of the epithelium.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Star is required for neuronal differentiation in the Drosophila retina and displays dosage-sensitive interactions with Ras1.

The photoreceptor cells R8, R2, and R5 are the first cells to initiate neuronal differentiation in the Drosophila eye imaginal disc. We have shown previously that these three cells require Star gene function for proper ommatidial assembly. Due to the embryonic lethality associated with mutations in Star, we have analyzed the consequence of loss of Star function in mosaic eye imaginal discs. Presumptive R8, R2, and R5 cells that lack Star function fail to differentiate neuronally and die a few hours later. Enhancer trap insertions reveal that Star expression in the eye disc is restricted to the developing R8, R2, and R5 cells. Taken together, these data suggest that Star is required for the reception of a signal and/or the execution of a developmental program that leads to the neuronal differentiation of R8, R2, and R5. Star is also required for the formation of wing veins and is expressed in developing veins, suggesting that at least partially overlapping pathways may operate during photoreceptor cell differentiation and wing vein formation. The role of Star in cell-cell signaling is supported by the observation of genetic interactions between Star and mutations that reduce signaling through both sevenless and the Drosophila EGF-receptor homologue, including Ras1 and Son of sevenless.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Acquisition of meiotic competence by denuded mouse oocytes: participation of somatic-cell product(s) and cAMP.

In contrast to fully grown oocytes, growing mouse oocytes are not capable of undergoing germinal vesicle breakdown (GVB) when released from the follicle unless they are first cultured in somatic-cell-conditioned medium. The first objective of this study was to assess the mechanisms by which oocytes in vitro acquire the ability to resume meiosis in conditioned medium. Whereas most of the denuded oocytes that were initially incompetent of undergoing GVD underwent GVB within 4 days of culture in fibroblast-conditioned medium, oocytes cultured in control medium remained in the GV stage although their viability was sustained as judged by morphological appearance and quantitative and qualitative patterns of protein synthesis. This suggested that the effect of somatic-cell-conditioned medium is inductive rather than simply permissive. When GVB-incompetent oocytes were first incubated in control medium for 1-3 days, a larger percentage underwent GVB following exposure to the conditioned medium or okadaic acid. It was therefore concluded that some aspects of the oocytes' developmental program for the acquisition of GVB competence are oocyte-autonomous but external factors provided by the surrounding somatic cells are probably require for oocytes to become fully GVB-competent. The effect of cAMP on acquisition of GVB competence by growing oocytes was also studied. Dibutyryl cAMP dose-dependently promoted the acquisition of GVB competence by initially GVB-incompetent oocytes. Forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, acted in similar way and its effect was potentiated by hypoxanthine, a naturally occurring cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Thus cAMP, in addition to maintaining meiotic arrest in GVB-competent oocytes, also participates in the acquisition of GVB competence by growing oocytes.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

PubMed1994

Cell fusions in the developing epithelial of C. elegans.

In this paper we characterize the order of hypodermal cell fusions in the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite. Somatic cell fusions are part of the developmental program of many tissues in a variety of organisms. The formation and remodeling of tissues and organs can be studied at the cellular level in C. elegans. Here we establish a system for studying cell fusion by characterizing somatic cell fusions during morphogenesis in C. elegans. Fusion is a common cell fate in this nematode; numerous epithelial fusions occur in the hypodermis, vulva, uterus, and excretory gland cells (Sulston et al., 1983. Dev. Biol. 100, 64-119). Some but not all pharyngeal muscles also fuse (Albertson and Thomson, 1976. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London Ser. B 275, 299-325). We have studied the behavior of epithelial adherens junctions before and during cell-to-cell fusions in embryonic and postembryonic development. Our results define the timing and sequence of short-range migrations followed by fusions that generate syncytia. We have made use of an antibody that stains adherens junctions to study the behavior of hypodermal cells during development. Fusion of specific cells in the hypodermis causes rearrangements of the adherens junctions between cells. Fusion events usually start in the anterior part of embryos or larvae. There is some variation in the specific order in which cells fuse, but the final positions, boundaries, and sizes of syncytia are the same. In some cases fusion causes isolation of a mononucleate cell or group of cells by a surrounding, growing syncytium. Our characterization of the order of cell fusions will provide a basis for the identification of molecular events required for regulated membrane fusion during development.

Animals↗