Sven Bogdan, Oliver Grewe, Mareike Strunk, Alexandra Mertens, Christian Klämbt
Institut für Neurobiologie, Universität Münster, Badestrasse 9, Münster 48149, Germany.
Development (Cambridge, England) 2004 AugRegulation of growth cone and cell motility involves the coordinated control of F-actin dynamics. An important regulator of F-actin formation is the Arp2/3 complex, which in turn is activated by Wasp and Wave. A complex comprising Kette/Nap1, Sra-1/Pir121/CYFIP, Abi and HSPC300 modulates the activity of Wave and Wasp. We present the characterization of Drosophila Sra-1 (specifically Rac1-associated protein 1). sra-1 and kette are spatially and temporally co-expressed, and both encoded proteins interact in vivo. During late embryonic and larval development, the Sra-1 protein is found in the neuropile. Outgrowing photoreceptor neurons express high levels of Sra-1 also in growth cones. Expression of double stranded sra-1 RNA</a> in photoreceptor neurons leads to a stalling of axonal growth. Following knockdown of sra-1 function in motoneurons, we noted abnormal neuromuscular junctions similar to what we determined for hypomorphic kette mutations. Similar mutant phenotypes were induced after expression of membrane-bound Sra-1 that lacks the Kette-binding domain, suggesting that sra-1 function is mediated through kette. Furthermore, we could show that both proteins stabilize each other and directly control the regulation of the F-actin cytoskeleton in a Wasp-dependent manner.
Sven Bogdan, Oliver Grewe, Mareike Strunk, Alexandra Mertens, Christian Klämbt. Sra-1 interacts with Kette and Wasp and is required for neuronal and bristle development in Drosophila. Development (Cambridge, England). 2004 Aug;131(16):3981-9
PMID: 15269173
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