biosights: September 3, 2012

C. elegans embryos are protected by a trilaminar eggshell that is thought to make the embryos impermeable to small molecules. Olson et al. describe the hierarchical assembly of the different eggshell layers but reveal that the permeability barrier is a distinct structure that lies in between the shell and the embryo surface. This biosights episode presents the paper by Olson et al. from the August 20, 2012, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with authors Sara Olson (Pomona College, Claremont, CA) and Karen Oegema (Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, UC San Diego, CA). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research. Subscribe to biosights via iTunes or RSS View biosights archive The Rockefeller University Press [email protected]