The Caenorhabditis elegans ect-2 RhoGEF gene regulates cytokinesis and migration of epidermal P cells

• Published in: EMBO reports Vol. 6; no. 12; pp. 1163 - 1168
• Main Authors: Morita, Kiyokazu, Hirono, Keiko, Han, Min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.12.2005; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - physiology; Cell Movement; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes; Consensus Sequence; Cytokinesis; Drosophila; Epithelial Cells - physiology; Etc2; Female; Genes, Helminth; Genes, Reporter; Genetic Markers; Green Fluorescent Proteins - metabolism; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors - genetics; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors - physiology; Models, Biological; Molecular Sequence Data; Pebble; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Rac; Rho; Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; Scientific Report; Sequence Deletion; unc-73
• ISSN: 1469-221X; 1469-3178; 1469-221X
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.embor.7400533

A reduction‐of‐function mutation in ect‐2 was isolated as a suppressor of the Multivulva phenotype of a lin‐31 mutation. Analysis using markers indicates that this mutation causes defects in both the cytokinesis and migration of epidermal P cells, phenotypes similar to those caused by expressing a rho‐1 dominant‐negative construct. ect‐2 encodes the Caenorhabditis elegans orthologue of the mouse Ect2 and Drosophila Pebble that function as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for Rho GTPases. The ect‐2∷GFP reporter is expressed in embryonic cells and P cells. RNA interference of ect‐2 causes sterility and embryonic lethality, in addition to the P‐cell defects. We have determined the lesions of two ect‐2 alleles, and described their differences in phenotypes in specific tissues. We propose a model in which ECT‐2GEF not only activates RHO‐1 for P‐cell cytokinesis, but also collaborates with UNC‐73GEF and at least two Rac proteins to regulate P‐cell migration.