The morphogenic movements and cell signalling events during organ development

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Organs can be described simply as functional units of cells, often of different types, that together perform a specific set of functions within an organism. An important question in developmental biology is how distinct cell types migrate, change shape and interact in a coordinated manner to form an organ. In the proposed research, we will use the muscular feeding tube (the pharynx) of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a free-living microscopic roundworm, with its powerful tools of genetics and live-imaging to study organ development. During pharynx morphogenesis, diverse cell types interact and coordinate their movements to rearrange themselves from a "ball of cells" into an extended tubular structure. In this developmental context, the salivary gland cells migrate and use a unique form of cellular morphogenesis called retrograde extension to form their secretory extensions. The focus of the proposed research is to understand the temporal and spatial regulation of intercellular interactions within the developing pharynx that are necessary for gland cell development. We will use the most advanced techniques in microscopy and genome analysis, coupled with the highly tractable tool of C. elegans genetics, to identify the cellular and molecular basis of organ morphogenesis. A group of agriculturally relevant plant-parasitic nematodes (i.e., the root-knot and cyst nematodes) mediate plant host infection and parasitism using their highly specialized pharynx and gland cells. Molecular pathways and cellular responses identified in C. elegans will be compared to root-knot nematode foregut development to identify the molecular mechanisms behind the evolution of organ structure. Understanding the basic biology and unique aspects of the nematode foregut and salivary gland cells will be important to provide a scientific basis for a directed approach to nematode pest control.