Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The effect of phosphate on the solubility of calcium carbonate and of bicarbonate on the solubility of calcium and magnesium phosphates.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2010

Same author

The presence of creatine in the testes of various invertebrates; the preparation of creatine phosphoric acid from fish testes.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2010

Same author

Iodine and goitre.

Lancet (London, England)·2010

Same author

Goitre in New Zealand.

Canadian Medical Association journal·2010

Same author

The Increased Incidence of Thyrotoxicosis in Immigrants.

Canadian Medical Association journal·2010

Same author

Is endemic goiter due to a lack of iodine?

The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Visualizing Neuroblast Cytokinesis During C. elegans Embryogenesis

Visualizing Neuroblast Cytokinesis During C. elegans Embryogenesis

Published on: March 13, 2014

Cell-cell interactions prevent a potential inductive interaction between soma and germline in C. elegans.

G Seydoux¹, T Schedl, I Greenwald

¹Department of Biology, Princeton University, New Jersey 08544.

|June 15, 1990

Summary

In C. elegans, the anchor cell normally prevents germline cells from dividing inappropriately. This study reveals that disrupting somatic gonadal cells or lin-12 function causes the anchor cell to inappropriately signal germline proliferation.

More Related Videos

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

Published on: April 19, 2018

In Vitro Reconstitution of Spatial Cell Contact Patterns with Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo Blastomeres and Adhesive Polystyrene Beads

In Vitro Reconstitution of Spatial Cell Contact Patterns with Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo Blastomeres and Adhesive Polystyrene Beads

Published on: November 26, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Visualizing Neuroblast Cytokinesis During C. elegans Embryogenesis

Visualizing Neuroblast Cytokinesis During C. elegans Embryogenesis

Published on: March 13, 2014

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

Published on: April 19, 2018

In Vitro Reconstitution of Spatial Cell Contact Patterns with Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo Blastomeres and Adhesive Polystyrene Beads

In Vitro Reconstitution of Spatial Cell Contact Patterns with Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo Blastomeres and Adhesive Polystyrene Beads

Published on: November 26, 2019

Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Cell signaling
Genetics

Background:

In C. elegans, germline stem cells are maintained in mitosis by the distal tip cell (DTC) and enter meiosis proximally.
The anchor cell (AC) is a somatic cell within the gonad that plays roles in gonadogenesis and oocyte development.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanisms regulating germline proliferation and differentiation in C. elegans.
To identify the cellular and genetic factors that prevent inappropriate interactions between somatic and germline cells.

Main Methods:

Laser ablations of somatic gonadal cells.
Mosaic analysis in C. elegans.
Genetic analysis of lin-12 and glp-1 mutants.

Main Results:

Ablation of somatic gonadal cells or mutations in lin-12 lead to inappropriate mitotic activity in proximal germline nuclei.
The anchor cell (AC) inappropriately signals proximal germline nuclei to divide mitotically under these conditions.
Both AC-germline and DTC-germline interactions require glp-1 activity.

Conclusions:

Somatic gonadal cells, through lin-12 activity, normally prevent the AC from inappropriately signaling the germline.
A proposed model suggests that the AC signal, normally acting on lin-12 in somatic cells, can activate glp-1 in the germline when lin-12 is absent.
These findings highlight the importance of precise cell-cell communication and signaling pathways in preventing aberrant developmental processes.