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Published Online July 27, 2006
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1130291

Reports

Submitted on May 22, 2006
Accepted on July 19, 2006

CYK-4/GAP Provides a Localized Cue to Initiate Anteroposterior Polarity upon Fertilization

Noah Jenkins 1, Jennifer R. Saam 1, Susan E. Mango 1*

1 Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Susan E. Mango , E-mail: susan.mango{at}hci.utah.edu

The Caenorhabditis elegans anteroposterior axis is established in response to fertilization by sperm. Here we present evidence that RhoA, the guanine nucleotide-exchange factor ECT-2 and the Rho guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)-activating protein CYK-4 modulate myosin light-chain activity to create a gradient of actomyosin, which establishes the anterior domain. CYK-4 is enriched within sperm, and paternally donated CYK-4 is required for polarity. These data suggest that CYK-4 provides a molecular link between fertilization and polarity establishment in the one-cell embryo. Orthologs of CYK-4 are expressed in sperm of other species, which suggests that this cue may be evolutionarily conserved.


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