Fig. 7. P granules distribution in spn-4 mutant embryos. In wild-type embryos P granules are segregated to the germline precursors P1 (A), P2 (B), P3 (C), P4 (D) and finally the two daughters of P4, Z2 and Z3 (E). In spn-4(or80) embryos, P granules also are segregated to a single daughter during each of the first four divisions that normally produce the germline progenitor P4 (F-J). However, in most terminally differentiated spn-4(or80) embryos, at least six positively staining cells are detected (see Fig. 5A). During anaphase in two-cell stage embryos, P granules localize at the cortex near one pole of the posterior mitotic spindle in both wild-type embryos (A) and spn-4(or80) mutant embryos (F). Note the linear arrays of P-granules radiating out from the spindle pole in (A) and especially in (F), as in Fig. 4 (C,D). All images were obtained using epifluorescence microscopy.
