Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Manipulation and Analysis of Cell Cycle-Dependent Processes in Budding Yeast
Published on: September 26, 2025
Cyclin D regulation of a sexually dimorphic asymmetric cell division
Christopher Tilmann1, Judith Kimble
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. cetilmann@loyola.edu
Abstract:
The C. elegans somatic gonadal precursor cell (SGP) divides asymmetrically to establish gonad-specific coordinates in both sexes. In addition, the SGP division is sexually dimorphic and initiates sex-specific programs of gonadogenesis. Wnt/MAPK signaling determines the gonadal axes, and the FKH-6 transcription factor specifies the male mode of SGP division. In this paper, we demonstrate that C. elegans cyclin D controls POP-1/TCF asymmetry in the SGP daughters as well as fkh-6 and rnr expression in the SGPs. Although cyclin D mutants have delayed SGP divisions, the cyclin D defects are not mimicked by other methods of retarding the SGP division. We find that EFL-1/E2F has an antagonistic effect on fkh-6 expression and gonadogenesis, which is relieved by cyclin D activity. We propose that cyclin D and other canonical regulators of the G1/S transition coordinate key regulators of axis formation and sex determination with cell cycle progression to achieve the sexually dimorphic SGP asymmetric division.
Related Concept Videos
Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division
Several proteins function as internal regulators to ensure each cell cycle stage is completed faithfully before proceeding to the next. Regulator molecules may act directly or influence the activity or production of other...
Positive Regulator Molecules
Positive Regulator Molecules
The Cell Cycle Control System
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
The Cell Cycle Control System
The Cell Cycle Control System

