Cell polarity is a crucial biological process essential for cell division, directed growth, and motility. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, polarity establishment centers around the small Rho-type GTPase Cdc42, which cycles between GTP-bound and GDP-bound states, regulated by GEFs like Cdc24 and GAPs such as Rga2. To dissect the dynamic regulation of Cdc42, we employed in vitro GTPase assays, revealing inverse concentration-dependent profiles for Cdc24 and Rga2: with increasing concentration, Cdc24's GEF activity is nonlinear and oligomerization-dependent, which is possibly linked to the relief of its self-inhibition. In contrast, Rga2's GAP activity saturates, likely due to self-inhibition upon oligomerization. Together, Cdc24 and Rga2 exhibit a strong synergy driven by weak Cdc24-Rga2 binding. We propose that the synergy stems from Cdc24 alleviating the self-inhibition of oligomeric Rga2. We believe this synergy contributes to efficient regulation of Cdc42's GTPase cycle over a wide range of cycling rates, enabling cells to resourcefully establish polarity. As Cdc42 is highly conserved among eukaryotes, we propose the GEF-GAP synergy to be a general regulatory property in other eukaryotes.

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Journal Article

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Tschirpke S, Daalman WK, van Opstal F, Laan L

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