Ch. Wen et I. Greenwald, p24 proteins and quality control of LIN-12 and GLP-1 trafficking in Caenorhabditis elegans, J CELL BIOL, 145(6), 1999, pp. 1165-1175
Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans sel-9 gene elevate the activity of
lin-12 and glp-1, which encode members of the LIN-12/NOTCH family of recept
ors, Sequence analyis indicates SEL-9 is one of several C. elegans p24 prot
eins. Allele-specific genetic interactions suggest that reducing sel-9 acti
vity increases the activity of mutations altering the extracellular domains
of LIN-12 or GLP-1, Reducing sel-9 activity restores the trafficking to th
e plasma membrane of a mutant GLP-1 protein that would otherwise accumulate
within the cell. Our results suggest a role for SEL-9 and other p24 protei
ns in the negative regulation of transport of LIN-12 and GLP-1 to the cell
surface, and favor a role for p24 proteins in a quality control mechanism f
or endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi transport.