Article abstract
Nature Cell Biology 2, 415 - 422 (2000)
Published online: 8 June 2000 | doi:10.1038/35017046
LET-413 is a basolateral protein required for the assembly of adherens junctions in Caenorhabditis elegans
Renaud Legouis1, Anne Gansmuller1, Satis Sookhareea1, Julia M. Bosher1, David L. Baillie2 & Michel Labouesse1
Abstract
Epithelial cells are polarized, with apical and basal compartments demarcated by tight and adherens junctions. Proper establishment of these subapical junctions is critical for normal development and histogenesis. We report the characterization of the gene let-413 which has a critical role in assembling adherens junctions in Caenorhabditis elegans. In let-413 mutants, adherens junctions are abnormal and mislocalized to more basolateral positions, epithelial cell polarity is affected and the actin cytoskeleton is disorganized. The LET-413 protein contains one PDZ domain and 16 leucine-rich repeats with high homology to proteins known to interact with small GTPases. Strikingly, LET-413 localizes to the basolateral membrane. We suggest that LET-413 acts as an adaptor protein involved in polarizing protein trafficking in epithelial cells.
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, BP163, 1, rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch, France
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada
Correspondence to: Michel Labouesse1 e-mail: lmichel@igbmc.u-strasbg.fr
