FIGURE 4:

Asymmetric-cell division is important for establishment phase of ERES number. (A) Quantification of ERES number shortly after birth (top), and soma cross-sectional area at birth (bottom) in PVD and PVD sister. Significance determined by Student’s t test two-tailed, ****p < 0.0001, n = 8 for each cell-type. (B) Representative images of WT and mutant worms at PVD birth and 0.5 h after birth. unc-86 mutants (top right) consistently disrupt asymmetry of PVD birth, displaying symmetric cell division of PVD mother. lin-5 mutants sometimes increase asymmetry of division (bottom left) and sometimes reduce asymmetry of division (bottom right). Scale bar = 5 µm. (C) Quantification of cross-sectional soma area at birth vs. ERES number 30 min after birth of PVD and PVD sister in WT and mutants. Pearson correlation between soma size and ERES number: r = 0.8404, R2 = 0.7062, p < 0.0001, n = 58 cells from 29 animals (WT: n = 8, lin-5: n = 11, unc-86: n = 10). (D) Quantification of cross-sectional soma area vs. ERES number across mature neuron types at larval stage L4. Pearson correlation between soma size and ERES number: r = 0.8449, R2 = 0.7138, p < 0.0001, n = 35 cells with at least six of each type. Results were additionally repeated in at least two independent experiments.