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Evo-devo

Different means to the same end

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 8, page 171 (2007)Cite this article

Most developmental systems are robust — the correct morphology emerges regardless of environmental influences or random fluctuations in the developmental system itself. For this reason, it is not surprising that many systems also show insensitivity to mutations. Many single mutations affect aspects of the developmental process but the final outcome remains the same, with phenotypes only arising from combinations of several such mutations. The author set out to find whether such cryptic mutations have accumulated between species.

The precursor cells of the Caenorhabditis vulva adopt the same pattern in all 11 culturable species in the genus. The six precursor cells can each adopt one of three fates — inner vulva (1), outer vulva (2) or non-vulva (3) — and in normal development they adopt a 3-3-2-1-2-3 pattern. This is achieved by morphogenic Ras signalling from an anchor cell, promoting fate 1 at high concentrations and fate 2 at intermediate ones (with fate 3 being adopted in its absence), and also by Notch signalling from the cell that adopts fate 1, promoting fate 2 in its neighbours and inhibiting the Ras signal. Can experimental manipulation uncover variation in how these pathways achieve the invariant pattern?

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Félix, M. A. Cryptic quantitative evolution of the vulva intercellular signaling network in Caenorhabditis. Curr. Biol. 17, 103–114 (2007)

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Authors
  1. Patrick Goymer
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Goymer, P. Different means to the same end. Nat Rev Genet 8, 171 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg2068

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