Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Mol Biol Cell. 2010 Sep 1;21(17):2996-3006. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E10-05-0429. Epub 2010 Jul 14.
Cdc42 has been implicated in numerous biochemical pathways during epithelial morphogenesis, including the control of spindle orientation during mitosis, the establishment of apical-basal polarity, the formation of apical cell-cell junctions, and polarized secretion. To investigate the signaling pathways through which Cdc42 mediates these diverse effects, we have screened an siRNA library corresponding to the 36 known Cdc42 target proteins, in a human bronchial epithelial cell line. Two targets, PAK4 and Par6B, were identified as necessary for the formation of apical junctions. PAK4 is recruited to nascent cell-cell contacts in a Cdc42-dependent manner, where it is required for the maturation of primordial junctions into apical junctions. PAK4 kinase activity is essential for junction maturation, but overexpression of an activated PAK4 mutant disrupts this process. Par6B, together with its binding partner aPKC, is necessary both for junction maturation and for the retention of PAK4 at sites of cell-cell contact. This study demonstrates that controlled regulation of PAK4 is required for apical junction formation in lung epithelial cells and highlights potential cross-talk between two Cdc42 targets, PAK4 and Par6B.
Cdc42 在许多上皮形态发生的生化途径中都有牵连,包括控制有丝分裂期间纺锤体的方向、建立顶端-基底极性、形成顶端细胞-细胞连接以及极化分泌。为了研究 Cdc42 介导这些不同效应的信号通路,我们在人支气管上皮细胞系中筛选了对应 36 种已知 Cdc42 靶蛋白的 siRNA 文库。两个靶标,PAK4 和 Par6B,被确定为形成顶端连接所必需的。PAK4 以 Cdc42 依赖的方式被募集到新形成的细胞-细胞接触处,在那里它是将原始连接成熟为顶端连接所必需的。PAK4 激酶活性对于连接成熟是必需的,但是激活的 PAK4 突变体的过表达会破坏这个过程。Par6B 与其结合伴侣 aPKC 一起,对于连接成熟和 PAK4 在细胞-细胞接触部位的保留都是必需的。这项研究表明,在肺上皮细胞中,PAK4 的受控调节对于顶端连接的形成是必需的,并强调了 Cdc42 的两个靶标 PAK4 和 Par6B 之间可能存在的交叉对话。