Cell polarity: new PARtners for Cdc42 and Rac.
Three recent papers have reported the surprising finding that Cdc42 and Rac1, both of which are known to be involved in maintaining apico-basolateral polarity of epithelial cells, can each bind to a protein complex containing Par6, Par3 and PKCzeta. These latter three proteins have known functions in the polarization of mother cells before asymmetric cell division in Caenorhabditis elegans. These latest results indicate a possible link between the mechanisms used to maintain cell polarity and to set up asymmetric cell divisions.
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D000818:Animals; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002455:Cell Division; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099221:Protein Kinase C zeta
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011506:Proteins; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein; D000099221:Protein Kinase C zeta; C512642:par-6 protein, C elegans; C097238:PAR-3 protein, C elegans