Editing Caenorhabditis elegans (section)

=== Cell lineage mapping ===
The developmental fate of every single [[somatic cell]] (959 in the adult hermaphrodite; 1031 in the adult male) has been mapped.<ref>
{{cite journal | vauthors = Sulston JE, Horvitz HR | title = Post-embryonic cell lineages of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans | journal = Developmental Biology | volume = 56 | issue = 1 | pages = 110–56 | date = March 1977 | pmid = 838129 | doi = 10.1016/0012-1606(77)90158-0 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite journal | vauthors = Kimble J, Hirsh D | title = The postembryonic cell lineages of the hermaphrodite and male gonads in Caenorhabditis elegans | journal = Developmental Biology | volume = 70 | issue = 2 | pages = 396–417 | date = June 1979 | pmid = 478167 | doi = 10.1016/0012-1606(79)90035-6 }}</ref> These patterns of cell lineage are largely invariant between individuals, whereas in mammals, cell development is more dependent on cellular cues from the embryo.

As mentioned previously, the first cell divisions of early [[embryogenesis]] in ''C. elegans'' are among the best understood examples of [[asymmetric cell division]]s, and the worm is a very popular model system for studying developmental biology.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>