Pak1 and PP2A antagonize aPKC function to support cortical tension induced by the Crumbs-Yurt complex
- Universite Laval, Canada
- University of Toronto, Canada
- Université Laval, Canada
Abstract
The Drosophila polarity protein Crumbs is essential for the establishment and growth of the apical domain in epithelial cells. The protein Yurt limits the ability of Crumbs to promote apical membrane growth, thereby defining proper apical/lateral membrane ratio that is crucial for forming and maintaining complex epithelial structures such as tubes or acini. Here, we show that Yurt also increases Myosin-dependent cortical tension downstream of Crumbs. Yurt overexpression thus induces apical constriction in epithelial cells. The kinase aPKC phosphorylates Yurt, thereby dislodging the latter from the apical domain and releasing apical tension. In contrast, the kinase Pak1 promotes Yurt dephosphorylation through activation of the phosphatase PP2A. The Pak1-PP2A module thus opposes aPKC function and supports Yurt-induced apical constriction. Hence, the complex interplay between Yurt, aPKC, Pak1 and PP2A contributes to the functional plasticity of Crumbs. Overall, our data increase our understanding of how proteins sustaining epithelial cell polarization and Myosin-dependent cell contractility interact with one another to control epithelial tissue architecture.
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Source data have been provided for all figures and are available as supporting files.
Article and author information
Author details
Katheryn E Rothenberg
Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
Funding
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Operating grant,MOP-142236)
- Patrick Laprise
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Operating grant,MOP-156279)
- Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Copyright
© 2021, Biehler et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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Pak1 and PP2A antagonize aPKC function to support cortical tension induced by the Crumbs-Yurt complex
eLife 10:e67999.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.67999
