Fig. 3. Meiosis and mitosis in early C. elegans embryos. (A-C) C. elegans embryos stained for tubulin (blue) and DNA (yellow). (A) Shortly after fertilization, a small meiotic spindle assembles at the anterior cortex. At this stage, most tubulin is not recruited to the spindle, but is scattered throughout the cytoplasm. (B) During the first mitosis, a large and asymmetric spindle forms. The first mitosis produces daughter cells of unequal size. (C) The anterior somatic precursor AB is shown undergoing anaphase of mitosis, while the posterior germline precursor P1 is still in metaphase.