Geometric cues stabilise long-axis polarisation of PAR protein patterns in C. elegans

Raphaela Geßele, Jacob Halatek, Laeschkir Würthner and Erwin Frey ()
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Raphaela Geßele: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Jacob Halatek: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Laeschkir Würthner: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Erwin Frey: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract In the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote, PAR protein patterns, driven by mutual anatagonism, determine the anterior-posterior axis and facilitate the redistribution of proteins for the first cell division. Yet, the factors that determine the selection of the polarity axis remain unclear. We present a reaction-diffusion model in realistic cell geometry, based on biomolecular reactions and accounting for the coupling between membrane and cytosolic dynamics. We find that the kinetics of the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle of PARs and the diffusive protein fluxes from the cytosol towards the membrane are crucial for the robust selection of the anterior-posterior axis for polarisation. The local ratio of membrane surface to cytosolic volume is the main geometric cue that initiates pattern formation, while the choice of the long-axis for polarisation is largely determined by the length of the aPAR-pPAR interface, and mediated by processes that minimise the diffusive fluxes of PAR proteins between cytosol and membrane.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14317-w

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