title: Regulation of Cell Polarity by PAR-1/MARK Kinase.
abstract: PAR-1/MARK kinases are conserved serine/threonine kinases that are essential regulators of cell polarity. PAR-1/MARK kinases localize and function in opposition to the anterior PAR proteins to control the asymmetric distribution of factors in a wide variety polarized cells. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms that control the localization and activity of PAR-1/MARK kinases, including their antagonistic interactions with the anterior PAR proteins. We focus on the role PAR-1 plays in the asymmetric division of the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote, in the establishment of the anterior/posterior axis in the Drosophila oocyte and in the control of microtubule dynamics in mammalian neurons. In addition to conserved aspects of PAR-1 biology, we highlight the unique ways in which PAR-1 acts in these distinct cell types to orchestrate their polarization. Finally, we review the connections between disruptions in PAR-1/MARK function and Alzheimer's disease and cancer.
authors.affiliation: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.
authors.forename: Youjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States. Electronic address: erik.griffin@dartmouth.edu.
authors.forename: Erik E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060049:Asymmetric Cell Division; D019521:Body Patterning; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
keywords: C. elegans; Cell polarity; Drosophila; MARK; Microtubule-associated protein; PAR proteins; PAR-1