Gut development in C. elegans

The midgut (intestine) of the nematode, C. elegans, is a tube consisting of 20 cells that arises from a single embryonic precursor. Owing to its comparatively simple anatomy and the advantages inherent to the C. elegans system, the gut has been used as a model for organogenesis for more than 25 years. In this review, the salient features of C. elegans gut development are described from the E progenitor through to the 20-cell intestine. The core gene regulatory network that drives specification of the gut, and other genes with roles in organogenesis, lumen morphogenesis and the cell cycle, are also described. Questions for future work are posed.