The small G-proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in the mouse

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	The small G-proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in the mouse
Creators Name:	Vasyutina, E., Martarelli, B., Brakebusch, C., Wende, H. and Birchmeier, C.
Abstract:	Rac1 and Cdc42 are small G-proteins that regulate actin dynamics and affect plasma membrane protrusion and vesicle traffic. We used conditional mutagenesis in mice to demonstrate that Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in vivo and in vitro. The deficit in fusion of Rac1 or Cdc42 mutant myoblasts correlates with a deficit in the recruitment of actin fibers and vinculin to myoblast contact sites. Comparison of the changes observed in mutant myogenic cells indicates that Rac1 and Cdc42 function in a nonredundant and not completely overlapping manner during the fusion process. Our genetic analysis demonstrates thus that the function of Rac in myoblast fusion is evolutionarily conserved from insects to mammals and that Cdc42, a molecule hitherto not implicated in myoblast fusion, is essential for the fusion of murine myoblasts.
Keywords:	Actin Cytoskeleton, Muscle Development, Myotube Formation, Animals, Mice
Source:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ISSN:	0027-8424
Publisher:	National Academy of Sciences
Volume:	106
Number:	22
Page Range:	8935-8940
Date:	2 June 2009
Additional Information:	Copyright (c) 2009 by The National Academy of Sciences
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0902501106
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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