Meta-Boolean models of asymmetric division patterns in the C. elegans intestinal lineage: Implications for the posterior boundary of intestinal twist.

The intestine of Caenorhabditis elegans is derived from 20 cells that are organized into nine intestinal rings. During embryogenesis, three of the rings rotate approximately 90 degrees in a process known as intestinal twist. The underlying mechanisms for this morphological event are not fully known, but it has been demonstrated that both left-right and anterior-posterior asymmetry is required for intestinal twist to occur. We have recently presented a rule-based meta-Boolean tree model intended to describe complex lineages. In this report we apply this model to the E lineage of C. elegans, specifically targeting the asymmetric anterior-posterior division patterns within the lineage. The resulting model indicates that cells with the same factor concentration are located next to each other in the intestine regardless of lineage origin. In addition, the shift in factor concentrations coincides with the boundary for intestinal twist. When modeling lit-1 mutant data according to the same principle, the factor distributions in each cell are altered, yet the concurrence between the shift in concentration and intestinal twist remains. This pattern suggests that intestinal twist is controlled by a threshold mechanism. In the current paper we present the factor concentrations for all possible combinations of symmetric and asymmetric divisions in the E lineage and relate these to the potential threshold by studying existing data for wild-type and mutant embryos. Finally, we discuss how the resulting models can serve as a basis for experimental design in order to reveal the underlying mechanisms of intestinal twist.