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Published Online May 15, 2003
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1084146

Reports

Submitted on February 28, 2003
Accepted on May 8, 2003

Translation of Polarity Cues into Asymmetric Spindle Positioning in Caenorhabditis elegans Embryos

Kelly Colombo 1, Stephan W. Grill 2, Randall J. Kimple 3, Francis S. Willard 3, David P. Siderovski 3, Pierre Gönczy 1*

1 Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), 1066 Epalinges/Lausanne, Switzerland.
2 Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
3 Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pierre.gonczy{at}isrec.unil.ch.

Asymmetric divisions are crucial for generating cell diversity and rely on coupling polarity cues with spindle positioning. How this coupling is achieved is poorly understood. In one-cell stage C. elegans embryos, polarity cues set by the PAR proteins mediate asymmetric spindle positioning by governing an imbalance of net pulling forces acting on spindle poles. We found that the GoLoco-containing proteins GPR-1 and GPR-2, as well as the G{alpha} subunits GOA-1 and GPA-16, were essential for generation of proper pulling forces. GPR-1/2 interacted with GOA-1-GDP and were enriched on the posterior cortex in a par-3- and par-2-dependent manner. Thus, the extent of net pulling forces may depend on cortical G{alpha} activity, which is regulated by anterior-posterior polarity cues through GPR-1/2, ensuring coupling between polarity cues and spindle positioning during asymmetric division.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)