ced-10 Rac and mig-2 function redundantly and act with unc-73 trio to control the orientation of vulval cell divisions and migrations in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Vulval development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can be divided into a fate specification phase controlled in part by let-60 Ras, and a fate execution phase involving stereotypical patterns of cell division and migration controlled in part by lin-17 Frizzled. Since the small GTPase Rac has been implicated as a downstream target of both Ras and Frizzled and influences cytoskeletal dynamics, we investigated the role of Rac signaling during each phase of vulval development. We show that the Rac gene ced-10 and the Rac-related gene mig-2 are redundantly required for the proper orientation of certain vulval cell divisions, suggesting a role in spindle positioning. ced-10 Rac and mig-2 are also redundantly required for vulval cell migrations and play a minor role in vulval fate specification. Constitutively active and dominant-negative mutant forms of mig-2 cause vulval defects that are very similar to those seen in ced-10;mig-2 double loss-of-function mutants, indicating that they interfere with the functions of both ced-10 Rac and mig-2. Mutations in unc-73 (a Trio-like guanine nucleotide exchange factor) cause similar vulval defects, suggesting that UNC-73 is an exchange factor for both CED-10 and MIG-2. We discuss the similarities and differences between the cellular defects seen in Rac mutants and let-60 Ras or lin-17 Frizzled mutants.
Kishore
Ranjana S
RS
Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6100, USA.
Sundaram
Meera V
MV
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002465:Cell Movement; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D005838:Genotype; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D014844:Vulva / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
C407268:CED-10 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; C101684:LIN-17 protein, C elegans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C111263:UNC-73 protein, C elegans; C066646:let-60 protein, C elegans; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; C442327:Mig-2 protein, C elegans; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins; D018631:ras Proteins