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The Role of aPKC Complex in the Establishment of Cell Polarity
Li Chen#, Tian-Chi Xin#, Ming-Fa Li*
School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Abstract: Polarity is a common characteristic of most cells. As is fundamental for cell differentiation and cell functions， the establishment of cell polarity is very important in the development of organisms. Work over the past decade has shown that the evolutionarily conserved atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) complex plays an essential role in generating cell polarity in various biological contexts. These include asymmetric cell division in Caenorhabditis elegans zygote and Drosophila neuroblasts， as well as the establishment of apical-basal polarity in mammalian and Drosophila epithelial cells. Here， we review the role of aPKC complex in these three biological processes， and discuss the underlying molecular mechanism.
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