VAV's got rhythm.
Biological rhythms with periods of less than a day are physiologically important but poorly understood. In this issue of Cell, Norman, Maricq, and colleagues (Norman et al., 2005) show that VAV-1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rho-family GTPases, is necessary for three rhythmic behaviors in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: feeding, defecation, and ovulation.
Baylis
Howard A
HA
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK.
D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D003672:Defecation / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010060:Ovulation / Q000502:physiology; D010507:Periodicity; D051567:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051567:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav; C496619:Vav1 protein, mouse; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases