Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Mechanisms of disease

A spate of RAB8

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 8, pages 600–601 (2007)Cite this article

Previous studies have suggested that RAB8 is involved in trafficking of basolateral proteins in polarized epithelial cells. To examine the role of RAB8 in cell polarity, Sato and colleagues generated conditional Rab8-knockout mice and monitored the localization of basolateral and apical markers. Surprisingly, basolateral marker localization in intestinal epithelial cells was unaffected in Rab8 knockouts, whereas apical markers were less abundant at the apical membrane and accumulated in lysosomes. The authors showed that the mislocalization of apical proteins, such as peptidases and transporters that are essential components of the nutrient uptake system, led to malnutrition and eventual starvation.

The phenotypes of the knockout mice (diarrhoea, malnutrition and microvilli shortening) closely resembled the phenotype of patients with human microvillus inclusion disease. Further analysis revealed that although no mutations were found in the exons of RAB8, one patient had markedly lower RAB8 protein and mRNA levels in his small intestine. Taken together, these data suggest that defects in the transcriptional regulation of RAB8 may be linked in some instances to the pathogenesis of microvillus inclusion disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Sato et al. The Rab8 GTPase regulates apical protein localization in intestinal cells. Nature 27 June 2007 (doi: 10.1038/nature05929)

  2. Nachury M. V. et al. A core complex of BBS proteins cooperates with the GTPase Rab8 to promote ciliary membrane biogenesis. Cell 129, 1201–1213 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

FURTHER READING

  1. Pfeffer, S. & Aivazian, D. Targeting Rab GTPases to distinct membrane compartments. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 5, 886–896 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Leroux, M. R. Taking vesicular transport to the cilium. Cell 129, 1041–1043 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Asher Mullard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mullard, A. A spate of RAB8. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 8, 600–601 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2228

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2228

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing