Cell Fusion: EFF Is Enough
نویسندگان
چکیده
Developmentally programmed cell-cell fusion in Caenorhabditis elegans requires the EFF-1 protein, which is sufficient to cause normally non-fusing cells to fuse. EFF-1 localizes to fusion-fated membranes, implicating it as a direct fusogen.
منابع مشابه
Fusogenic Activity of EFF-1 Is Regulated via Dynamic Localization in Fusing Somatic Cells of C. elegans
BACKGROUND Many animal tissues form via fusion of cells. Yet in all instances of developmental cell fusion, the mechanism underlying fusion of plasma membranes remains poorly understood. EFF-1 is required for most somatic cell fusions in C. elegans, and misexpressed EFF-1 alters the normal pattern of fusing hypodermal cells. However, the autonomous activity of EFF-1, the rules governing its spe...
متن کاملStructural Basis of Eukaryotic Cell-Cell Fusion
Cell-cell fusion proteins are essential in development. Here we show that the C. elegans cell-cell fusion protein EFF-1 is structurally homologous to viral class II fusion proteins. The 2.6 Å crystal structure of the EFF-1 trimer displays the same 3D fold and quaternary conformation of postfusion class II viral fusion proteins, although it lacks a nonpolar "fusion loop," indicating that it does...
متن کاملEFF-1 Is Sufficient to Initiate and Execute Tissue-Specific Cell Fusion in C. elegans
Despite the identification of essential processes in which cell fusion plays spectacular roles such as in fertilization and development of muscle, bone, and placenta, there are no identified proteins that directly mediate developmental cell fusion reactions. C. elegans has recently become among the best-characterized models to use for studying developmental cell fusion. The eff-1 (epithelial fu...
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BACKGROUND Regulatory and biophysical mechanisms of cell-cell fusion are largely unknown despite the fundamental requirement for fused cells in eukaryotic development. Only two cellular fusogens that are not of clear recent viral origin have been identified to date, both in nematodes. One of these, EFF-1, is necessary for most cell fusions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Unregulated EFF-1 expression...
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Cell fusion is essential for sexual reproduction and formation of muscles, bones, and placenta. Two families of cell fusion proteins (Syncytins and FFs) have been identified in eukaryotes. Syncytins have been shown to form the giant syncytial trophoblasts in the placenta. The FFs are essential to fuse cells in the skin, reproductive, excretory, digestive and nervous systems in nematodes. EFF-1 ...
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عنوان ژورنال:
- Current Biology
دوره 15 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2005