scholarly journals Interaction between a Ras and a Rho GTPase Couples Selection of a Growth Site to the Development of Cell Polarity in Yeast

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 4958-4970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith G. Kozminski ◽  
Laure Beven ◽  
Elizabeth Angerman ◽  
Amy Hin Yan Tong ◽  
Charles Boone ◽  
...  

Polarized cell growth requires the coupling of a defined spatial site on the cell cortex to the apparatus that directs the establishment of cell polarity. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Ras-family GTPase Rsr1p/Bud1p and its regulators select the proper site for bud emergence on the cell cortex. The Rho-family GTPase Cdc42p and its associated proteins then establish an axis of polarized growth by triggering an asymmetric organization of the actin cytoskeleton and secretory apparatus at the selected bud site. We explored whether a direct linkage exists between the Rsr1p/Bud1p and Cdc42p GTPases. Here we show specific genetic interactions between RSR1/BUD1 and particular cdc42 mutants defective in polarity establishment. We also show that Cdc42p coimmunoprecipitated with Rsr1p/Bud1p from yeast extracts. In vitro studies indicated a direct interaction between Rsr1p/Bud1p and Cdc42p, which was enhanced by Cdc24p, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Cdc42p. Our findings suggest that Cdc42p interacts directly with Rsr1p/Bud1p in vivo, providing a novel mechanism by which direct contact between a Ras-family GTPase and a Rho-family GTPase links the selection of a growth site to polarity establishment.

2015 ◽  
Vol 211 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Woods ◽  
Chun-Chen Kuo ◽  
Chi-Fang Wu ◽  
Trevin R. Zyla ◽  
Daniel J. Lew

Establishment of cell polarity in animal and fungal cells involves localization of the conserved Rho-family guanosine triphosphatase, Cdc42, to the cortical region destined to become the “front” of the cell. The high local concentration of active Cdc42 promotes cytoskeletal polarization through various effectors. Cdc42 accumulation at the front is thought to involve positive feedback, and studies in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have suggested distinct positive feedback mechanisms. One class of mechanisms involves localized activation of Cdc42 at the front, whereas another class involves localized delivery of Cdc42 to the front. Here we show that Cdc42 activation must be localized for successful polarity establishment, supporting local activation rather than local delivery as the dominant mechanism in this system.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine N. Daniels ◽  
Trevin R. Zyla ◽  
Daniel J. Lew

AbstractThe conserved Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 is a master regulator of polarity establishment in many cell types. Cdc42 becomes activated and concentrated in a region of the cell cortex, and recruits a variety of effector proteins to that site. In turn, many effectors participate in regulation of cytoskeletal elements in order to remodel the cytoskeleton in a polarized manner. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has served as a tractable model system for studies of cell polarity. In yeast cells, Cdc42 polarization involves a positive feedback loop in which effectors called p21-activated kinases (PAKs) act to recruit a Cdc42-directed guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), generating more GTP-Cdc42 in areas that already have GTP-Cdc42. The GTPase-interacting components (GICs) Gic1 and Gic2 are also Cdc42 effectors, and have been implicated in regulation of the actin and septin cytoskeleton. However, we report that cells lacking GICs are primarily defective in polarizing Cdc42 itself, suggesting that they act upstream as well as downstream of Cdc42 in yeast. Our findings suggest that feedback pathways involving GTPase effectors may be more prevalent than had been appreciated.


2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pruyne ◽  
A. Bretscher

The ability to polarize is a fundamental property of cells. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven to be a fertile ground for dissecting the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell polarity during growth. Here we discuss the signaling pathways that regulate polarity. In the second installment of this two-part commentary, which appears in the next issue of Journal of Cell Science, we discuss how the actin cytoskeleton responds to these signals and guides the polarity of essentially all events in the yeast cell cycle. During the cell cycle, yeast cells assume alternative states of polarized growth, which range from tightly focused apical growth to non-focused isotropic growth. RhoGTPases, and in particular Cdc42p, are essential to guiding this polarity. The distribution of Cdc42p at the cell cortex establishes cell polarity. Cyclin-dependent protein kinase, Ras, and heterotrimeric G proteins all modulate yeast cell polarity in part by altering the distribution of Cdc42p. In turn, Cdc42p generates feedback signals to these molecules in order to establish stable polarity states and coordinate cytoskeletal organization with the cell cycle. Given that many of these signaling pathways are present in both fungi and animals, they are probably ancient and conserved mechanisms for regulating polarity.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kraig T. Kumfer ◽  
Steven J. Cook ◽  
Jayne M. Squirrell ◽  
Kevin W. Eliceiri ◽  
Nina Peel ◽  
...  

The anterior–posterior axis of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo is elaborated at the one-cell stage by the polarization of the partitioning (PAR) proteins at the cell cortex. Polarization is established under the control of the Rho GTPase RHO-1 and is maintained by the Rho GTPase CDC-42. To understand more clearly the role of the Rho family GTPases in polarization and division of the early embryo, we constructed a fluorescent biosensor to determine the localization of CDC-42 activity in the living embryo. A genetic screen using this biosensor identified one positive (putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor [GEF]) and one negative (putative GTPase activating protein [GAP]) regulator of CDC-42 activity: CGEF-1 and CHIN-1. CGEF-1 was required for robust activation, whereas CHIN-1 restricted the spatial extent of CDC-42 activity. Genetic studies placed CHIN-1 in a novel regulatory loop, parallel to loop described previously, that maintains cortical PAR polarity. We found that polarized distributions of the nonmuscle myosin NMY-2 at the cell cortex are independently produced by the actions of RHO-1, and its effector kinase LET-502, during establishment phase and CDC-42, and its effector kinase MRCK-1, during maintenance phase. CHIN-1 restricted NMY-2 recruitment to the anterior during maintenance phase, consistent with its role in polarizing CDC-42 activity during this phase.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (5) ◽  
pp. C519-C528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Aslan ◽  
Sandra M. Baker ◽  
Cassandra P. Loren ◽  
Kristina M. Haley ◽  
Asako Itakura ◽  
...  

Regulation of the platelet actin cytoskeleton by the Rho family of small GTPases is essential for the proper maintenance of hemostasis. However, little is known about how intracellular platelet activation from Rho GTPase family members, including Rac, Cdc42, and Rho, translate into changes in platelet actin structures. To better understand how Rho family GTPases coordinate platelet activation, we identified platelet proteins associated with Rac1, a Rho GTPase family member, and actin regulatory protein essential for platelet hemostatic function. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that upon platelet activation with thrombin, Rac1 associates with a set of effectors of the p21-activated kinases (PAKs), including GIT1, βPIX, and guanine nucleotide exchange factor GEFH1. Platelet activation by thrombin triggered the PAK-dependent phosphorylation of GIT1, GEFH1, and other PAK effectors, including LIMK1 and Merlin. PAK was also required for the thrombin-mediated activation of the MEK/ERK pathway, Akt, calcium signaling, and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure. Inhibition of PAK signaling prevented thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and blocked platelet focal adhesion and lamellipodia formation in response to thrombin. Together, these results demonstrate that the PAK signaling system is a key orchestrator of platelet actin dynamics, linking Rho GTPase activation downstream of thrombin stimulation to PAK effector function, MAP kinase activation, calcium signaling, and PS exposure in platelets.


2006 ◽  
Vol 281 (43) ◽  
pp. 32891-32897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Oleksy ◽  
Łukasz Opaliński ◽  
Urszula Derewenda ◽  
Zygmunt S. Derewenda ◽  
Jacek Otlewski

The Dbl homology nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) activate Rho family cytosolic GTPases in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological events. These signaling molecules typically act downstream of tyrosine kinase receptors and often facilitate nucleotide exchange on more than one member of the Rho GTPase superfamily. Three unique GEFs, i.e. p115, PDZ-RhoGEF, and LARG, are activated by the G-protein coupled receptors via the Gα12/13, and exhibit very selective activation of RhoA, although the mechanism by which this is accomplished is not fully understood. Based on the recently solved crystal structure of the DH-PH tandem of PDZ-RhoGEF in complex with RhoA (Derewenda, U., Oleksy, A., Stevenson, A. S., Korczynska, J., Dauter, Z., Somlyo, A. P., Otlewski, J., Somlyo, A. V., and Derewenda, Z. S. (2004) Structure (Lond.) 12, 1955-1965), we conducted extensive mutational and functional studies of the molecular basis of the RhoA selectivity in PDZ-RhoGEF. We show that while Trp58 of RhoA is intimately involved in the interaction with the DH domain, it is not a selectivity determinant, and its interaction with PDZ-RhoGEF is unfavorable. The key selectivity determinants are dominated by polar contacts involving residues unique to RhoA. We find that selectivity for RhoA versus Cdc42 is defined by a small number of interactions.


2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 339-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith G. Kozminski ◽  
Ann J. Chen ◽  
Avital A. Rodal ◽  
David G. Drubin

Cdc42p, a Rho family GTPase of the Ras superfamily, is a key regulator of cell polarity and morphogenesis in eukaryotes. Using 37 site-directed cdc42 mutants, we explored the functions and interactions of Cdc42p in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cytological and genetic analyses of thesecdc42 mutants revealed novel and diverse phenotypes, showing that Cdc42p possesses at least two distinct essential functions and acts as a nodal point of cell polarity regulation in vivo. In addition, mapping the functional data for each cdc42mutation onto a structural model of the protein revealed as functionally important a surface of Cdc42p that is distinct from the canonical protein-interacting domains (switch I, switch II, and the C terminus) identified previously in members of the Ras superfamily. This region overlaps with a region (α5-helix) recently predicted by structural models to be a specificity determinant for Cdc42p-protein interactions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (12) ◽  
pp. 3959-3969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsutoshi Nakamura ◽  
Jeffrey M. Verboon ◽  
Susan M. Parkhurst

Like tissues, single cells are subjected to continual stresses and damage. As such, cells have a robust wound repair mechanism comprised of dynamic membrane resealing and cortical cytoskeletal remodeling. One group of proteins, the Rho family of small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), is critical for this actin and myosin cytoskeletal response in which they form distinct dynamic spatial and temporal patterns/arrays surrounding the wound. A key mechanistic question, then, is how these GTPase arrays are formed. Here, we show that in the Drosophila melanogaster cell wound repair model Rho GTPase arrays form in response to prepatterning by Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs), a family of proteins involved in the activation of small GTPases. Furthermore, we show that Annexin B9, a member of a class of proteins associated with the membrane resealing, is involved in an early, Rho family–independent, actin stabilization that is integral to the formation of one RhoGEF array. Thus, Annexin proteins may link membrane resealing to cytoskeletal remodeling processes in single cell wound repair.


2018 ◽  
Vol 218 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle D. Moran ◽  
Hui Kang ◽  
Ana V. Araujo ◽  
Trevin R. Zyla ◽  
Koji Saito ◽  
...  

In many cells, morphogenetic events are coordinated with the cell cycle by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). For example, many mammalian cells display extended morphologies during interphase but round up into more spherical shapes during mitosis (high CDK activity) and constrict a furrow during cytokinesis (low CDK activity). In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, bud formation reproducibly initiates near the G1/S transition and requires activation of CDKs at a point called “start” in G1. Previous work suggested that CDKs acted by controlling the ability of cells to polarize Cdc42, a conserved Rho-family GTPase that regulates cell polarity and the actin cytoskeleton in many systems. However, we report that yeast daughter cells can polarize Cdc42 before CDK activation at start. This polarization operates via a positive feedback loop mediated by the Cdc42 effector Ste20. We further identify a major and novel locus of CDK action downstream of Cdc42 polarization, affecting the ability of several other Cdc42 effectors to localize to the polarity site.


Author(s):  
Meng Zhu ◽  
Peizhe Wang ◽  
Charlotte E. Handford ◽  
Jie Na ◽  
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz

SummaryThe establishment of cell polarity de novo in the early mammalian embryo triggers the transition from totipotency to differentiation to generate embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the timing of cell polarity establishment remain unknown. Here, we identify stage-dependent transcription of Tfap2c and Tead4 as well as Rho GTPase signaling as key for the onset of cell polarization. Importantly, advancing their activity can induce precocious cell polarization and ectopic lineage differentiation in a cell-autonomous manner. Moreover, we show that the asymmetric clustering of apical proteins, regulated by Tfap2c-Tead4, and not actomyosin flow, mediates apical protein polarization. These findings identify the long-sought mechanism for the onset of polarization and the first lineage segregation in the mouse embryo.


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