title: Rap1 GTPase regulation of adherens junction positioning and cell adhesion.
abstract: Cell-cell junctions are distributed evenly around the lateral circumference of cells within an epithelium. We find that the even distribution of adherens junctions is an active process that requires the small guanosine triphosphatase Rap1. Cells mutant for Rap1 condensed their adherens junctions to one side of the cell. This disrupted normal epithelial cell behavior, and mutant cell clones dispersed into the surrounding wild-type tissue. Rap1 is enriched at adherens junctions, particularly between newly divided sister cells where it may reseal the adherens junction ring. The regulation of adherens junction positioning could play a role in cell mobility and cell division.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome/CRC Institute and Department of Anatomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.
authors.forename: Andrea L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: Nicholas H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011679:Pupa; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019076:Transgenes; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D051178:alpha Catenin; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D051178:alpha Catenin; C092747:cno protein, Drosophila; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins