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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
09:38
Analyzing the Function of Small GTPases by Microinjection of Plasmids into Polarized Epithelial Cells
Published on: May 31, 2011
Cdc42 and vesicle trafficking in polarized cells
Kathryn P Harris1, Ulrich Tepass
1Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5, Canada. kathryn.harris@utoronto.ca
Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)
|July 17, 2010
Summary
The small GTPase Cdc42 integrates vesicle trafficking and cell polarity. This review explores how Cdc42 and its effectors, like the Par complex, regulate polarized traffic across species.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cdc42, a Rho family GTPase, regulates signaling pathways, vesicle trafficking, and cell polarity.
- The interaction between trafficking and polarity machineries in cell polarization remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the interplay between Cdc42 and trafficking in cell polarization.
- To discuss the function of Cdc42 and its effectors in regulating polarized traffic.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of findings in yeast, C. elegans, Drosophila, and mammalian cell culture.
- Analysis of the roles of Cdc42, WASp-Arp2/3, and Par complexes.
Main Results:
- Cdc42 acts as a key polarity determinant in yeast, requiring endocytosis and recycling for its polarized distribution.
- In metazoan cells, Cdc42 influences biosynthetic, endocytotic, and recycling pathways.
- The Par complex collaborates with Cdc42 in endocytosis and recycling regulation.
Conclusions:
- Cdc42 integrates vesicle trafficking and cell polarity networks.
- The co-operation of polarity proteins and endocytotic machinery offers new insights into cell polarization mechanisms.
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