Cytoplasmic Streaming Contributes to the Final Step of Anterior–Posterior Axis Formation in C. elegans Embryos

*Kenji Kimura, Akatsuki Kimura.

Cytoplasmic streaming drifts the polarity cue and enables posteriorization of the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote at the side opposite of sperm entry.

Mol Biol Cell 31, 1765-1773 (2020)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E20-01-0058

Kenji Kimura demonstrated that the sperm-derived nucleus, which determines the anterior–posterior polarity of the C. elegans zygote, is carried across the cytoplasm by cytoplasmic streaming after fertilization. This movement causes a shift in the polarity axis, revealing how internal fluid flow can influence spatial organization within the cell.