High impact information on vab-8

• vab-8 is a key regulator of posteriorly directed migrations in C. elegans and encodes a novel protein with kinesin motor similarity [1].
• We propose that regulation of vab-8 activity is a mechanism for controlling the direction of cell and axon growth cone migrations [1].
• VAB-8S, which lacks this N-terminal domain, functions in a subset of vab-8-dependent cell migrations [1].
• All the migration phenotypes show incomplete penetrance and variable expressively, although genetic tests suggest that mutations at mig-10 and vab-8 result in complete or nearly complete loss of gene function [2].
• Based on genetic complementation tests, the mutations were assigned to four different loci, two new (mig-10 III, mig-11 III) and two previously identified (unc-39 V, vab-8 V) [2].

Biological context of vab-8

• The C. elegans gene vab-8 guides posteriorly directed axon outgrowth and cell migration [3].

Anatomical context of vab-8

• Our results suggest that most posteriorly directed cell and growth cone migrations are guided by a common mechanism involving the vab-8 gene [3].

References