title: Role of myosin-II phosphorylation in V12Cdc42-mediated disruption of Drosophila cellularization.
abstract: Microinjection of constitutively active Cdc42 (V12Cdc42) disrupts the actomyosin cytoskeleton during cellularization (Crawford et al., Dev. Biol., 204, 151-164 (1998)). The p21-activated kinase (PAK) family of Ser/Thr kinases are effectors of GTP-bound forms of the small GTPases, Cdc42 and Rac. Drosophila PAK, which colocalizes with actin and myosin-II during cellularization, concentrates at sites of V12Cdc42-induced actomyosin disruption. In vitro biochemical analyses demonstrate that PAK phosphorylates the regulatory light chain (RLC) of Drosophila nonmuscle myosin-II on Ser21, a site known to activate myosin-II function. Although activated PAK does not disrupt the actomyosin cytoskeleton, it induces increased levels of Ser21 phosphorylated RLC. These findings suggest that increased levels of RLC phosphorylation do not contribute to disruption of the actomyosin hexagonal array.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27708-1000, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Varlamova
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bresnick
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kiehart
mesh_terms: D000205:Actomyosin / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology*; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D012694:Serine / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012694:Serine; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D000205:Actomyosin; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D009218:Myosins; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein