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Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Prostaglandin Extraction and Analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: June 25, 2013
Asymmetrically distributed PAR-3 protein contributes to cell polarity and spindle alignment in early C. elegans
B Etemad-Moghadam1, S Guo, K J Kemphues
1Section of Genetics and Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
Abstract:
The par-3 gene is required for establishing polarity in early C. elegans embryos. Embryos from par-3 homozygous mothers show defects in segregation of cytoplasmic determinants and in positioning of the early cleavage spindles. We report here that the PAR-3 protein is asymmetrically distributed at the periphery of the zygote and asymmetrically dividing blastomeres of the germline lineage. The PAR-3 distribution is roughly the reciprocal of PAR-1, another protein required for establishing embryonic polarity in C. elegans. Analysis of the distribution of PAR-3 and PAR-1 in other par mutants reveals that par-2 activity is required for proper localization of PAR-3 and that PAR-3 is required for proper localization of PAR-1. In addition, the distribution of the PAR-3 protein correlates with differences in cleavage spindle orientation and suggests a mechanism by which PAR-3 contributes to control of cleavage pattern.
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