CGC Bibliography Paper 4899

C. elegans CED-12 acts in the conserved CrkII/DOCK180/Rac pathway to control cell migration and cell corpse engulfment.

Wu YC, Tsai M-C, Cheng L-C, Chou C-J, Weng N-Y

Medline:

11703940

Citation:

Developmental Cell 1: 491-502 2001

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

ced-1 ced-2 ced-3 ced-4 ced-5 ced-6 ced-7 ced-10 ced-12 mnDf111 qDf5 qDf8 qDf9 qDf10 qDf15

Abstract:

We have identified and characterized a novel C. elegans gene, ced-12, that functions in the conserved GTPase signaling pathway mediated by CED-2/Crkll, CED-5/DOCK180, and CED-10/Rac to control cell migration and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. We provide evidence that ced-12 likely acts upstream of ced-10 during cell migration and phagocytosis and that CED-12 physically interacts with CED-5 and forms a ternary complex with CED-2 in vitro. We propose that the formation and localization of a CED-2-CED-5-CED-12 ternary complex to the plasma membrane activates CED-10, leading to the cytoskeletal reorganization that occurs in the polarized extension of cell surfaces in engulfing cells and migrating cells. We suggest that CED-12 counterparts in higher organisms regulate cytoskeleton dynamics, as CED-12 does in C.