Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Sex-specific morphogenesis occurs in Caenorhabditis elegans in the vulva of the hermaphrodite and in the male tail during the last larval stage. Temporal progression of vulva morphogenesis has been described in fine detail. However, a similar precise description of male tail morphogenesis was lacking.
RESULTS: We here describe morphogenesis of the male tail at time points matching vulva development with special focus on morphogenesis of the tail tip. Using fluorescent reporters, we follow changes in cell shapes, cell fusions, nuclear migration, modifications in the basement membrane, and formation of a new apical extracellular matrix at the end of the tail.
CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis answers two open questions about tail tip morphogenesis (TTM) by showing that one of the four tail tip cells, hyp11, remains largely separate, while the other cells fully fuse with each other and with two additional tail cells to form a ventral tail syncytium. This merger of cells begins at the apical surface early during TTM but is only completed toward the end of the process. This work provides a framework for future investigations of cell biological factors that drive male tail morphogenesis.
RESULTS: We here describe morphogenesis of the male tail at time points matching vulva development with special focus on morphogenesis of the tail tip. Using fluorescent reporters, we follow changes in cell shapes, cell fusions, nuclear migration, modifications in the basement membrane, and formation of a new apical extracellular matrix at the end of the tail.
CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis answers two open questions about tail tip morphogenesis (TTM) by showing that one of the four tail tip cells, hyp11, remains largely separate, while the other cells fully fuse with each other and with two additional tail cells to form a ventral tail syncytium. This merger of cells begins at the apical surface early during TTM but is only completed toward the end of the process. This work provides a framework for future investigations of cell biological factors that drive male tail morphogenesis.
摘要：
背景：性别特异性形态发生发生在雌雄同体外阴秀丽隐杆线虫和最后一个幼虫阶段的雄性尾巴中。外阴形态发生的时间进展已经详细描述。然而,缺乏对雄性尾巴形态发生的类似精确描述。
结果：我们在此描述了雄性尾巴在与外阴发育相匹配的时间点的形态发生，特别关注尾尖的形态发生。使用荧光记者，我们跟踪细胞形状的变化，细胞融合,核迁移,基底膜的改变，并在尾部末端形成新的顶端细胞外基质。
结论：我们的分析回答了两个关于尾尖形态发生（TTM）的开放性问题，表明四个尾尖细胞之一，hyp11，基本上是分开的，而其他细胞彼此完全融合，并与两个额外的尾细胞形成腹尾合胞体。细胞的这种合并在TTM期间的早期在顶端表面开始,但是仅在接近该过程结束时完成。这项工作为将来研究驱动雄性尾巴形态发生的细胞生物学因素提供了框架。
结果：我们在此描述了雄性尾巴在与外阴发育相匹配的时间点的形态发生，特别关注尾尖的形态发生。使用荧光记者，我们跟踪细胞形状的变化，细胞融合,核迁移,基底膜的改变，并在尾部末端形成新的顶端细胞外基质。
结论：我们的分析回答了两个关于尾尖形态发生（TTM）的开放性问题，表明四个尾尖细胞之一，hyp11，基本上是分开的，而其他细胞彼此完全融合，并与两个额外的尾细胞形成腹尾合胞体。细胞的这种合并在TTM期间的早期在顶端表面开始,但是仅在接近该过程结束时完成。这项工作为将来研究驱动雄性尾巴形态发生的细胞生物学因素提供了框架。
