Melissa A. Pickett

This study identifies the rectal valve cells in C. elegans that use E-cadherin signaling to align apical surfaces between the intestine and rectum, completing the digestive tract.

The paper identifies a mechanism by which intestinal cells in C. elegans break symmetry through PAR-3 and HMR-1 at stable cell contacts, establishing tissue-wide polarity.

The paper shows that apical PAR complex proteins are essential for maintaining epithelial integrity during intestinal development in C. elegans by preventing gaps that block the lumen.