Hubbard E J, Greenstein D
Department of Biology, New York University, New York, USA.
Dev Dyn. 2000 May;218(1):2-22. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0177(200005)218:1<2::AID-DVDY2>3.0.CO;2-W.
Sexual reproduction of multicellular organisms depends critically on the coordinate development of the germ line and somatic gonad, a process known as gonadogenesis. Together these tissues ensure the formation of functional gametes and, in the female of many species, create a context for production and further development of the zygote. Since the future of the species hangs in the balance, it is not surprising that gonadogenesis is a complex process involving conserved and multi-faceted developmental mechanisms. Genetic, anatomical, cell biological, and molecular experiments have established the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a paradigm for studying gonadogenesis. Furthermore, these studies demonstrate the utility of C. elegans gonadogenesis for exploring broad issues in cell and developmental biology, such as cell fate specification, morphogenesis, cell signaling, cell cycle control, and programmed cell death. The synergy of molecular genetics and cell biology conducted at single-cell resolution in real time permits an extraordinary depth of analysis in this organism. In this review, we first describe the embryonic and post-embryonic development and morphology of the C. elegans gonad. Next we recount seminal experiments that established the field, highlight recent results that provide insight into conserved developmental mechanisms, and present future prospects for the field.
多细胞生物的有性生殖严重依赖于生殖系和体细胞性腺的协调发育，这一过程被称为性腺发生。这些组织共同确保功能性配子的形成，并且在许多物种的雌性中，为合子的产生和进一步发育创造条件。由于物种的未来处于关键阶段，性腺发生是一个涉及保守且多方面发育机制的复杂过程也就不足为奇了。遗传学、解剖学、细胞生物学和分子实验已将线虫秀丽隐杆线虫确立为研究性腺发生的范例。此外，这些研究证明了秀丽隐杆线虫性腺发生在探索细胞和发育生物学中的广泛问题（如细胞命运特化、形态发生、细胞信号传导、细胞周期控制和程序性细胞死亡）方面的实用性。在单细胞分辨率下实时进行的分子遗传学和细胞生物学的协同作用，使得对该生物体的分析具有非凡的深度。在这篇综述中，我们首先描述秀丽隐杆线虫性腺的胚胎发育和胚胎后发育以及形态。接下来，我们讲述确立该领域的开创性实验，强调为保守发育机制提供见解的最新结果，并展示该领域的未来前景。
