About this Research Topic
Regulation of cell structure and dynamics is often critical for a number of cellular events including migration, division, and morphogenesis. Misregulation of cell structure and dynamics is involved in cancer progression and diseases in many cell types. However, these are regulated by a complex mechanism involving not only cytoskeleton, membranes, and organelles, but also interactions with substrates, soluble factors, and other cells, and are actively investigated in the field of cell biology. One of the major hurdles in research using vertebrates is the difficulty in analyzing cell structure and dynamics in vivo. In vitro cell cultures are excellent for microscopic studies, but three-dimensional environments in the presence of other cell types are often difficult to reconstitute. Therefore, several model organisms have been utilized to explore basic conserved mechanisms of cell structure and dynamics.
To study the regulatory mechanism of cell structure and dynamics, Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode species, has been a valuable model organism. Due to their short life cycle and robust reproductive potential, C. elegans are suitable for classic genetics as well as more advanced targeted genetic manipulations. Embryos and worms are mostly transparent and can be subjected to microscopic observations in three-dimensional environments in vivo. Genomics studies strongly suggest that the basic cellular mechanisms are conserved between C. elegans and other organisms. The major goal of this Research Topic is to disseminate the latest research on cell structure and dynamics using C. elegans as a model organism to a wider audience.
The editors welcome submissions of various article types (including Original Research, Brief Research Reports, and (Mini-)Reviews) focusing on the use of C. elegans to explore the following subtopics:
• Function and regulation of cytoskeletal proteins
• Dynamic cell behaviors such as cell migration and cell division
• Morphogenesis
• Cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions
• Cell contractility and mechanosensing
• Disease models involving abnormalities in the structure and dynamics of cells and tissues
• New methodologies to study cell structure and dynamics.
To study the regulatory mechanism of cell structure and dynamics, Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode species, has been a valuable model organism. Due to their short life cycle and robust reproductive potential, C. elegans are suitable for classic genetics as well as more advanced targeted genetic manipulations. Embryos and worms are mostly transparent and can be subjected to microscopic observations in three-dimensional environments in vivo. Genomics studies strongly suggest that the basic cellular mechanisms are conserved between C. elegans and other organisms. The major goal of this Research Topic is to disseminate the latest research on cell structure and dynamics using C. elegans as a model organism to a wider audience.
The editors welcome submissions of various article types (including Original Research, Brief Research Reports, and (Mini-)Reviews) focusing on the use of C. elegans to explore the following subtopics:
• Function and regulation of cytoskeletal proteins
• Dynamic cell behaviors such as cell migration and cell division
• Morphogenesis
• Cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions
• Cell contractility and mechanosensing
• Disease models involving abnormalities in the structure and dynamics of cells and tissues
• New methodologies to study cell structure and dynamics.
Keywords: C. Elegans, Model System, Caenorhabditis Elegans, cell adhesion, cell migration, cell structure, cell dynamics, morphogenesis, cell division
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
