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The Roles Of Daf-6 And Cell-Cell Interactions In Sensory Organ Morphogenesis, Elliot A. Perens

Student Theses and Dissertations

The development of multicellular organs depends on the regulation of cell shape, position, and orientation. The genetic regulation of these morphogenetic processes is poorly understood. As a model for organ morphogenesis, I studied the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans amphid sensory organ. Sensory organs in diverse species are often composed of neuronal sensory endings accommodated in a lumen formed by ensheathing epithelia or glia. The generation of this structure may require cell-autonomous factors that control lumen formation, as well as cell non-autonomous factors that coordinate the morphogenesis of the lumen with the resident neuronal processes. Understanding these processes would provide …