title: The polarity-inducing kinase Par-1 controls Xenopus gastrulation in cooperation with 14-3-3 and aPKC.
abstract: Par (partitioning-defective) genes were originally identified in Caenorhabditis elegans as determinants of anterior/posterior polarity. However, neither their function in vertebrate development nor their action mechanism has been fully addressed. Here we show that two members of Par proteins, 14-3-3 (Par-5) and atypical PKC (aPKC), regulate the serine/threonine kinase Par-1 to control Xenopus gastrulation. We find first that Xenopus Par-1 (xPar-1) is essential for gastrulation but not for cell fate specification during early embryonic development. We then find that xPar-1 binds to 14-3-3 in an aPKC-dependent manner. Our analyses identify two aPKC phosphorylation sites in xPar-1, which are essential for 14-3-3 binding and for proper gastrulation movements. The aPKC phosphorylation-dependent binding of xPar-1 to 14-3-3 does not markedly affect the kinase activity of xPar-1, but induces relocation of xPar-1 from the plasma membranes to the cytoplasm. Finally, we show that Xenopus aPKC and its binding partner Xenopus Par-6 are also essential for gastrulation. Thus, our results identify a requirement of Par proteins for Xenopus gastrulation and reveal a novel interrelationship within Par proteins that may provide a general mechanism for spatial control of Par-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Morioh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusakabe
authors.forename: Eisuke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nishida
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D028341:Activins / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D019070:Cell Lineage; D005775:Gastrula / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; C512643:PARD6B protein, Xenopus; D011506:Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C512642:par-6 protein, C elegans; D028341:Activins; C496647:MARK3 protein, Xenopus; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C115015:PKC-3 protein; D011493:Protein Kinase C