title: Heterotrimeric G proteins: new tricks for an old dog.
abstract: Heterotrimeric G proteins are well known for their function in signal transduction downstream of seven transmembrane receptors. More recently, however, genetic analysis in C. elegans and in Drosophila has revealed a second, essential function of these molecules in positioning the mitotic spindle and attaching microtubules to the cell cortex. Five new publications in Cell (Afshar et al., 2004; Du and Macara, 2004 [this issue of Cell]; Hess et al., 2004), Developmental Cell (Martin-McCaffrey et al., 2004), and Current Biology (Couwenbergs et al., 2004) show that this function is conserved in vertebrates and--like the classical pathway--involves cycling of G proteins between GDP and GTP bound conformations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr Bohr Gasse 3-5, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hampoelz
authors.forename: Juergen A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Knoblich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008938:Mitosis; D009154:Mutation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins