Early embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans: The cytoskeleton and spatial organization of the zygote

Early embryogenesis of Caenorhabditis elegans provides a striking example of the generation of polarity and the partitioning of cytoplasmic factors according to this polarity. Microfilaments (MFs) appear to play a critical role in these processes. By visualizing the distribution of MFs and by studying the consequences of disrupting MFs for short, defined periods during zygote development, we have generated some new ideas about when and how microfilaments function in the zygote.