title: CACN-1/Cactin interacts genetically with MIG-2 GTPase signaling to control distal tip cell migration in C. elegans.
abstract: The two specialized C. elegans distal tip cells (DTCs) provide an in vivo model system for the study of developmentally regulated cell migration. We identified cacn-1/cactin, a well-conserved, novel regulator of cell migration in a genome-wide RNAi screen for regulators of DTC migration. RNAi depletion experiments and analysis of the hypomorphic allele cacn-1(tm3126) indicate that CACN-1 is required during DTC migration for proper pathfinding and for cessation of DTC migration at the end of larval morphogenesis. Strong expression of CACN-1 in the DTCs, and data from cell-specific RNAi depletion experiments, suggest that CACN-1 is required cell-autonomously to control DTC migration. Importantly, genetic interaction data with Rac GTPase activators and effectors suggest that CACN-1 acts specifically to inhibit the mig-2/Rac pathway, and in parallel to ced-10/Rac, to control DTC pathfinding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, 134 Mugar Hall, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Hiba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tannoury
authors.forename: Varenka
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Ismar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kovacevic
authors.forename: Mouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ibourk
authors.forename: Myeongwoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Erin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cram
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006066:Gonads / Q000196:embryology; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C414093:cactin protein, Drosophila; C442327:Mig-2 protein, C elegans; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins