Excitable RhoA dynamics drive pulsed contractions in the early C. elegans embryo.

ABSTRACT: Pulsed actomyosin contractility underlies diverse modes of tissue morphogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we combined quantitative imaging with genetic perturbations to identify a core mechanism for pulsed contractility in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. We show that pulsed accumulation of actomyosin is governed by local control of assembly and disassembly downstream of RhoA. Pulsed activation and inactivation of RhoA precede, respectively, the accumulation and disappearance of actomyosin and persist in the absence of Myosin II. We find that fast (likely indirect) autoactivation of RhoA drives pulse initiation, while delayed, F-actin-dependent accumulation of the RhoA GTPase-activating proteins RGA-3/4 provides negative feedback to terminat

SUBMITTER: Michaux JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6279378 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature