Determining the requirement for Wnt signaling in HAM-1 regulated asymmetric cell divisions

Asymmetric cell division is the process wherein a mother cell divides to generate daughter cells with distinct fates, and dysregulation is linked to cancer. C. elegans is an excellent model for studying asymmetric cell division due to its well-mapped cell lineage. In C. elegans, ham-1 functions to regulate asymmetric neuroblast division. HAM-1 is a putative transcription factor that localizes to both the nucleus and the cell cortex during embryogenesis. Using 4D microscopy, we characterized GFP::HAM-1 polarization during cell division and its asymmetric distribution in daughter cells. In C. elegans, Wnt signaling polarizes asymmetrically dividing cells along the anterior-posterior axis. Therefore, we hypothesize that Wnts may function to regulate asymmetric division in ham-1 dependent lineages. We found several of the Wnts functioned redundantly to control asymmetric divisions in the lineages that generated the PLM and PHB neurons. This suggests that Wnt signalling may function with HAM-1 to regulate asymmetric cell division.