Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research
Maulbeerstrasse 66
4058 Basel, Switzerland
Email: rafal.ciosk@fmi.ch
Secretary: Dawn Hammond
Phone: +41 61 697 66 51
Determination and maintenance of cell identity
Totipotent cells, such as germ cells, maintain the ability to produce various cell types. Despite the broad interest, molecular mechanisms for maintaining totipotency remain elusive. Our goal is to elucidate what totipotency means in molecular terms. We have identified a mutant background in which C. elegans germ cells inappropriately differentiate into somatic cell types such as muscles or neurons. These cells express somatic markers and their morphology is characteristic of fully specialized somatic cells. This phenotype is strikingly reminiscent of the haphazardous differentiation seen in human germ cell tumours called teratomas, which contain a bizarre medley of non-germ tissues such as skin, muscle, bone, or neuronal tissue. Our findings raise several important questions. How is loss of germline identity normally prevented? Are the mechanisms that maintain germline identity conserved? Are germ cells at different stages of development equally susceptible to the loss of totipotency? Is the commitment to a new developmental fate irreversible? We will address these questions in our future research.
