Identification of Ce-AF-6, a novel Caenorhabditis elegans protein, as a putative Ras effector

Gene. 1998 Dec 11;224(1-2):53-8. doi: 10.1016/s0378-1119(98)00527-7.

Abstract

Mammalian Ras proteins associate with multiple effectors, including Raf, Ral guanine nucleotide dissociation stimulator, phosphoinositide 3-kinase and AF-6. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, LIN-45/Raf has been identified genetically as an effector of LET-60/Ras. To search for other effectors in C. elegans, we carried out a yeast two-hybrid screening for LET-60-associating proteins. The screening identified a novel protein, designated Ce-AF-6, which exhibited a strong structural homology with human AF-6, rat Afadin and Drosophila melanogaster Canoe and possessed both the Ras-associating (RA) domain and the PSD-95/DlgA/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain. Ce-AF-6 associated with human Ha-Ras in a GTP-dependent manner, with an efficiency comparable to that of human Raf-1 Ras-binding domain. When the effects of mutations of the Ras effector region residues were examined for associations with various effectors, Ce-AF-6 was found to possess a distinct and the most rigorous requirement for the effector region residues. These results strongly suggest that Ce-AF-6 is a putative effector of Ras that possesses a distinct recognition mechanism for association with Ras.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / chemistry
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Kinesins / genetics*
  • Kinesins / physiology
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Myosins / genetics*
  • Myosins / physiology
  • Receptors, Notch
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction
  • ras Proteins / genetics
  • ras Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Receptors, Notch
  • afd-1 protein, C elegans
  • cno protein, Drosophila
  • Myosins
  • Kinesins
  • ras Proteins

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AF063023