Polarity mediates asymmetric trafficking of the Gbeta heterotrimeric G-protein subunit GPB-1 in C. elegans embryos.

ABSTRACT: Asymmetric cell division is an evolutionarily conserved process that gives rise to daughter cells with different fates. In one-cell stage C. elegans embryos, this process is accompanied by asymmetric spindle positioning, which is regulated by anterior-posterior (A-P) polarity cues and driven by force generators located at the cell membrane. These force generators comprise two Gα proteins, the coiled-coil protein LIN-5 and the GoLoco protein GPR-1/2. The distribution of GPR-1/2 at the cell membrane is asymmetric during mitosis, with more protein present on the posterior side, an asymmetry that is thought to be crucial for asymmetric spindle positioning. The mechanisms by which the distribution of components such as GPR-1/2 is regulated in time and space are incompletely understood. Here, we

SUBMITTER: Thyagarajan K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3188591 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature