CACN-1/Cactin interacts genetically with MIG-2 GTPase signaling to control distal tip cell migration in C. elegans.
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.
Tannoury
Hiba
H
Department of Biology, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, 134 Mugar Hall, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Rodriguez
Varenka
V
Kovacevic
Ismar
I
Ibourk
Mouna
M
Lee
Myeongwoo
M
Cram
Erin J
EJ
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*
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