The Caenorhabditis elegans paxillin orthologue, PXL-1, is required for pharyngeal muscle contraction and for viability.

ABSTRACT: We have identified the gene C28H8.6 (pxl-1) as the Caenorhabditis elegans orthologue of vertebrate paxillin. PXL-1 contains the four C-terminal LIM domains conserved in paxillin across all species and three of the five LD motifs found in the N-terminal half of most paxillins. In body wall muscle, PXL-1 antibodies and a full-length green fluorescent protein translational fusion localize to adhesion sites in the sarcomere, the functional repeat unit in muscle responsible for contraction. PXL-1 also localizes to ring-shaped structures near the sarcolemma in pharyngeal muscle corresponding to podosome-like sites of actin attachment. Our analysis of a loss-of-function allele of pxl-1, ok1483, shows that loss of paxillin leads to early larval arrested animals with paralyzed pharyngeal muscles an

SUBMITTER: Warner A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3135480 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature