How the worm removes corpses: the nematode C-elegans as a model system to study engulfment

Apoptotic with the removal of the dying cells from the organism. This remov al is brought forth through a rapid and specific engulfment of the doomed c ell by one of its neighbors. Over half a dozen genes have been identified t hat function in this process in the worm. Many of these engulfment genes ha ve functional homologs in Drosophila and higher vertebrates. Indeed, there is growing evidence supporting the hypothesis that the pathways that mediat e the removal of apoptotic cells might be, at least in part, conserved thro ugh evolution.