Grant: Project Grant

All living organisms are formed by cells, the fundamental unit of life. In animals, cells are organized into organs and tissues that perform specific functions for the organism. The proper shaping of organs and tissues is important for their function. Several processes are known to participate in the shaping of organs and tissues, yet how they coordinate with one another is not completely understood. We are using a simple animal, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, to study how tissues acquire their shape. This model is useful because the genes that control its development are similar to those found in other animals, including humans, and therefore characterizing their function in this simple system helps to establish how they work in other contexts. Also, this animal is transparent and processes can be studied easily under the microscope. The C. elegans organ that we intend to study is the gonad, which acquires a stereotyped U-shape during development of the worm. Our project will specifically assess how cells orient and position themselves as they divide so as to exert forces that will impact the shape of the gonad. Our work will help better define how regulators of tissue shape are coordinated with one another and uncover general principles relating to how tissues acquire their shape during the development of all animals.