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Cell signaling facilitates apical constriction by basolaterally recruiting Arp2/3 via Rac and WAVE
Pu Zhang1,2, Taylor N Medwig-Kinney1, Eleanor A Breiner1
1Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
The Journal of Cell Biology
|March 5, 2025
Summary
WAVE, a nucleation-promoting factor, and the Arp2/3 complex are crucial for apical constriction during C. elegans gastrulation. Cell-cell contacts activate WAVE and Arp2/3 basolaterally, driving essential cell shape changes.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Apical constriction is a fundamental cell shape change driving tissue morphogenesis.
- The precise regulation of actomyosin networks by localized factors during apical constriction is not fully understood.
- The Arp2/3 complex plays a vital role in actin dynamics during cell shape changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the localized regulation of the Arp2/3 complex by nucleation-promoting factors (NPFs) during Caenorhabditis elegans gastrulation.
- To determine the specific roles of WAVE, WASP, and WASH in Arp2/3 localization and function.
- To elucidate how cell-cell contacts influence the localization and activity of Arp2/3.
Main Methods:
- Live imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos with endogenously tagged Arp2/3 and NPFs.
- Depletion studies using RNA interference to assess the function of specific NPFs.
- Analysis of protein localization in response to ectopic cell contacts.
Main Results:
- WAVE, WASP, and WASH localized Arp2/3 to distinct subcellular regions.
- Depletion of WAVE, but not WASP or WASH, caused significant gastrulation defects.
- WAVE and Arp2/3 were found to localize basolaterally, dependent on CED-10/Rac, and were recruited to ectopic cell contacts.
- WAVE-Arp2/3 pathway controlled F-actin levels at cell-cell junctions.
Conclusions:
- Cell-cell contact acts as a symmetry-breaking cue to localize WAVE and Arp2/3 basolaterally via Rac signaling.
- Basolateral Arp2/3 activity, regulated by WAVE, is essential for apical constriction during gastrulation.
- This study reveals a novel mechanism for localized actin regulation driving tissue morphogenesis.
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