The coronin-like protein POD-1 is required for anterior-posterior axis formation and cellular architecture in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans

• Published in: Genes & development 1999-11, Vol.13 (21), p.2838-2851
• Main Authors: Rappleye, C A, Paredez, A R, Smith, C W, McDonald, K L, Aroian, R V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actins - metabolism; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Body Patterning - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - embryology; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans - ultrastructure; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Cell Cycle; Extracellular Matrix; F actin-binding protein; Fluorescent Dyes - metabolism; Genes, Helminth; Helminth Proteins - chemistry; Helminth Proteins - genetics; Helminth Proteins - metabolism; Helminth Proteins - physiology; Indoles - metabolism; Microfilament Proteins - chemistry; Microfilament Proteins - genetics; Microfilament Proteins - physiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Osmotic Pressure; Permeability; pod-1 gene; POD-1 protein; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases; Pyridinium Compounds - metabolism; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds - metabolism; Research Paper
• ISSN: 0890-9369
• DOI: 10.1101/gad.13.21.2838

Establishment of anterior-posterior (a-p) polarity in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo depends on filamentous (F-) actin. Previously, we isolated an F-actin-binding protein that was enriched in the anterior cortex of the one-cell embryo and was hypothesized to link developmental polarity to the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we identify this protein, POD-1, as a new member of the coronin family of actin-binding proteins. We have generated a deletion within the pod-1 gene. Elimination of POD-1 from early embryos results in a loss of physical and molecular asymmetries along the a-p axis. For example, PAR-1 and PAR-3, which themselves are polarized and required for a-p polarity, are delocalized in pod-1 mutant embryos. However, unlike loss of PAR proteins, loss of POD-1 gives rise to the formation of abnormal cellular structures, namely large vesicles of endocytic origin, membrane protrusions, unstable cell divisions, a defective eggshell, and deposition of extracellular material. We conclude that, analogous to coronin, POD-1 plays an important role in intracellular trafficking and organizing specific aspects of the actin cytoskeleton. We propose models to explain how the role of POD-1 in basic cellular processes could be linked to the generation of polarity along the embryonic a-p axis.