This time-lapse series illustrates the early division up to the four-cell stage of a C. elegans embryo depleted of npl-4 through RNAi. The first C. elegans embryonic division of the P0 zygote is asymmetric and generates an anterior AB cell, and a smaller posterior P1 cell. These cells have different developmental fates and division timing, with AB dividing approximately 2 min before P1. Time-lapse differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy identified that downregulation of cdc-48, ufd-1, and npl-4 increases the cell division delay of P1 in comparison to AB, leading to a prolonged three-cell stage. The series corresponds to experiments shown in Fig. 1B and Movie 5 of Mouysset et al. Movie is CIL 25632 and original data file is CIL 35146.