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A Novel ROP/RAC Effector Links Cell Polarity, Root-Meristem Maintenance, and Vesicle Trafficking

  • Meirav Lavy
  • , Daria Bloch
  • , Ora Hazak
  • , Itai Gutman
  • , Limor Poraty
  • , Nadav Sorek
  • , Hasana Sternberg
  • , Shaul Yalovsky*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • Tel Aviv University

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

196 Scopus citations

Abstract

ROP/RAC GTPases are master regulators of cell polarity in plants, implicated in the regulation of diverse signaling cascades including cytoskeleton organization, vesicle trafficking, and Ca2+ gradients [1-8]. The involvement of ROPs in differentiation processes is yet unknown. Here we show the identification of a novel ROP/RAC effector, designated interactor of constitutive active ROPs 1 (ICR1), that interacts with GTP-bound ROPs. ICR1 knockdown or silencing leads to cell deformation and loss of root stem-cell population. Ectopic expression of ICR1 phenocopies activated ROPs, inducing cell deformation of leaf-epidermis-pavement and root-hair cells [3, 5, 6, 9]. ICR1 is comprised of coiled-coil domains and forms complexes with itself and the exocyst vesicle-tethering complex subunit SEC3 [10-13]. The ICR1-SEC3 complexes can interact with ROPs in vivo. Plants overexpressing a ROP- and SEC3-noninteracting ICR1 mutant have a wild-type phenotype. Taken together, our results show that ICR1 is a scaffold-mediating formation of protein complexes that are required for cell polarity, linking ROP/RAC GTPases with vesicle trafficking and differentiation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)947-952
Number of pages6
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume17
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Jun 2007

Funding

FundersFunder number
Israel Ministry of Science Eshkol
Israel Science Foundation Charles Revson research fundISF 399/03
Manna Center for Plant Biosciences, Tel Aviv University

    Keywords

    • CELLBIO

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