COLOR CODES         tadpole   &   EMB1      EMBRYOS                                                                                   

Codes taken from MRC listings, Oct 1981                 Nov. 6, 2009; translated by DHH

 

These two middle stage wild type embryos were reconstructed in serial thin sections by John Sulston and colleagues in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the anatomy of the embryonic nose.  Available thin sections were photographed at ~3,000X and the EM negatives copied onto large format prints.  

For “tadpole”, almost all cells of the bodywall were colored using a violet color code (#1-220+).  Many cells of the pharynx were marked with a green code, but none of those cells were identified. 

In EMB1 prints #1-151, prominent sensory dendrites, glial structures, and nerve ring cells were reconstructed using at least four different colors (red, green, brown and blue).

Most Color Codes have been copied from one of Sulston’s forms entitled “Allocation of cell types”, but additional codes were found in MRC green notebook 34 that has additional notes about the EMB1 reconstruction.  Note that many cell types were not identified, especially for cells approaching the back of the nerve ring and the midbody.  A more extensive, all blue, Color Code was used for EMB1 prints #152-800; that color code can be downloaded via the EMB1 link.

 

Of special note, the four embryonic CEM neurons are still found in both animals, prior to their programmed cell death in a later stage of hermaphrodite development.  And the XXX cell bodies still lie in the anterior nose.

 

See Sulston, J.E., Schierenberg, E., White, J.G. and Thomson, J.N. (1983) Dev. Biol. 100: 64-119. “The embryonic cell lineage of the nematode C. elegans”

 

Codes for                    Codes for

tadpole                        EMB1             cell type

1                                  9                      3rd hypodermal ring  VL (= XXXL)

2                                  2/198               4th hypodermal ring  (3 cells)

3                                  5a                    anterior arcade  DL

4                                  7a,7b               5th hypodermal ring (2 cells)

5                                  5b                    anterior arcade DR

6                                  10                    3rd hypodermal ring VR  (=XXXR)

7                                  14/94               posterior arcade  VL

8                                  11                    3rd hypodermal ring    DL

9                                  1/188               anterior arcade V

10                                13                    posterior arcade D

11                                16/187             posterior arcade V

12                                11/93               amphid socket  L

13                                15/110             posterior arcade  VR

14                                22                    ILso DL

15                                                        hypodermis, body

16                                186                  2nd hypodermal ring

17                                16/95               ILso L

18                                12                    3rd hypodermal ring    DR

19                                                        body hypodermis  -  seam?

20                                7                      posterior arcade  DL

21                                193                  OLQso DL

22                                12                    ILso DR

23                                6                      2nd hypodermal ring   L

24                                8/111               posterior arcade  DR

25                                90                    OLQso VL

26                                1/183               ILso VL

27                                18/89               OLsh L

28                                82                    IL2L

29                                195                  OLQsh DL

30                                181                  1st hypodermal ring

31                                192                  OLso  DR

32                                9/106               amphid socket R

33                                196                  ILsh  DL

34                                92                    OLQsh VL

35                                11/184             ILso  VR

36                                194                  IL2DL

37                                91                    1st hypodermal ring

38                                80                    URBL

39                                17/88               ILsh L

40                                5/109               ILso R

41 (br2)                       177                  ILsh VL                                 

42                                179                  URYVL

43                                15/191             ILsh DR

44                                108                  OLsh  R

45                                14                    IL2DR

46                                203                  OLsh DR

47                                197                  IL1DL

48                                21/83               IL1L

49                                85                    RMEL

50                                199                  URYDL

51                                                        hypodermal seam

52                                                        1st hypodermal ring

53                                105                  OLQsh VR

54                                189                  OLQso VR

55                                84                    RIPL

56                                2/176               ILsh VR

57                                                        hypodermal

58                                                        hypodermal

59                                                        hypodermal

60                                100                  OLso R

61                                103                  CEPso DR

62                                3/175               IL2VL

63                                178                  CEPso VL

64                                202                  IL1DR

65                                81                    URYVL

66                                201                  RMED

67                                19/79               OLLL

68                                86                    OLso  L

69                                121                  CEPDL

70                                97                    URBR

71                                129                  CEPsh  DL

72                                77                    BAGL

73                                200                  URADR

74  (br4)                      128                  URYDL

75                                62                    SAAVL

76                                4/174               IL2VR

77                                78                    OLQVL

78                                6/104               ILsh  R

79                                98                    RIPR

80                                99                    RMER

81                                8/102               IL1R

82 (br7)                       101                  IL2R                          

83                                180                  URAVR

84                                3/169               IL1VR

85                                4/170               IL1VL

86                                125                  CEPsh DR

87                                120                  CEPDR

88                                182                  CEPso VR

89                                168                  CEPsh  VL

90                                117                  GLRDL

91 (br3)                       123                  OLQDL

92                                122                  ALA

93 (br2)                       127                  URYDR                                 

94                                59                    amphid sheath  L

95 (br7)                       119                  CEPDL companion    [CEM DL]

96

97                                96                    OLLR

98                                87                    CEPso  DL

99                                46                    amphid sheath R

100 (br8)                     112                  URXL

101                              116                  GLRDR

102 (br5)                     118                  CEPDR companion  [CEM DR]

103 (br6)                     115                  URYR

104                              126                  RID

105 (br1)                     124                  OLQDR

106

107                              74                    GLRL

108

109                              173                  CEPVL companion  [CEM VL]

110                              167                  RMEV

111                              51                    OLQVR

112

113

114                              185                  URYVR

115                              136                  RIH

116                              135                  CEPVL

117

118                              52                    BAGR

119                              172                  CEPVR companion  [CEM VR]

120                              130                  GLRVL

121

122                              132                  SAADL                      

123                              171                  CEPsh  VR

124                              53                    GLRR

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132                              133                  RIR

133

134                              143                  RMDDL

135

136                              138                  CEPVR

137

138

139                              131                  GLRVR

140

141                              139                  SIBDL

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155                              136                  RIH

156

157

158                              144                  SMBDL

159

160

161

162

163

179                              141                  E socket cell (duct?)

 

1                                                                      pharyngeal cells are marked in green

2                                                                      but no IDs were made

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39