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e s e a r c h.. f o c u s :
Analyses
of a novel paxillin homolog and Rho GTPase signaling modulator Pxl1p
The
scaffolding protein paxillin and its homologs play key roles at
sites of polarized cell growth in vertebrate cells, such as focal
contacts. Paxillin family homologs are present in the predicted
sequences of a growing number of invertebrate species, including
budding yeast. Due to its central role in cell signaling and polarized
cell growth in vertebrate cells, we have begun studying how the
homologous protein encoded by the PXL1 (Paxillin-like protein 1)
gene functions in yeast cells.
More
about Pxl1p...
Our studies to date show that, like vertebrate paxillin, the Pxl1
protein (Pxl1p) is found specifically at sites of polarized cell
growth. Several lines of evidence show that yeast cells lacking
Pxl1p have altered signaling through the Rho1 cell integrity pathway.
Rho1p functions normally to help coordinate polarized cell growth
at the levels of the organization of the actin cytoskeleton and
assembly of glucan in the fungal cell wall. The cell wall is a
major target of some classes of antifungal drugs and therefore
better understanding of its regulation may aid in further antifungal
drug development. We are presently using a variety of genetic
and biochemical approaches to examine the mechanisms controlling
the localization of Pxl1p to polarized growth sites and to determine
what other proteins it interacts with at such sites.
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