Long astral microtubules and RACK-1 stabilize polarity domains during maintenance phase in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.

ABSTRACT: Cell polarity is a very well conserved process important for cell differentiation, cell migration, and embryonic development. After the establishment of distinct cortical domains, polarity cues have to be stabilized and maintained within a fluid and dynamic membrane to achieve proper cell asymmetry. Microtubules have long been thought to deliver the signals required to polarize a cell. While previous studies suggest that microtubules play a key role in the establishment of polarity, the requirement of microtubules during maintenance phase remains unclear. In this study, we show that depletion of Caenorhabditis elegans RACK-1, which leads to short astral microtubules during prometaphase, specifically affects maintenance of cortical PAR domains and Dynamin localization. We then investigated

SUBMITTER: Ai E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3080402 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature