@article{5d50eee2e6b243db8911f1a6ea0c74b4,
title = "Crk proteins transduce FGF signaling to promote lens fiber cell elongation",
abstract = "Specific cell shapes are fundamental to the organization and function of multicellular organisms. Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling induces the elongation of lens fiber cells during vertebrate lens development. Nonetheless, exactly how this extracellular FGF signal is transmitted to the cytoskeletal network has previously not been determined. Here, we show that the Crk family of adaptor proteins, Crk and Crkl, are required for mouse lens morphogenesis but not differentiation. Genetic ablation and epistasis experiments demonstrated that Crk and Crkl play overlapping roles downstream of FGF signaling in order to regulate lens fiber cell elongation. Upon FGF stimulation, Crk proteins were found to interact with Frs2, Shp2 and Grb2. The loss of Crk proteins was partially compensated for by the activation of Ras and Rac signaling. These results reveal that Crk proteins are important partners of the Frs2/Shp2/Grb2 complex in mediating FGF signaling, specifically promoting cell shape changes.",
author = "Collins, {Tamica N.} and Yingyu Mao and Hongge Li and Michael Bouaziz and Angela Hong and Feng, {Gen Sheng} and Fen Wang and Quilliam, {Lawrence A.} and Lin Chen and Taeju Park and Tom Curran and Xin Zhang",
note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Drs. Chu-Xia Deng, Raj Ladher, Richard Lang, Alexei Morozov, Lars Nitschke, David Ornitz, Ruth Ashery-Padan, Philippe Soriano and Feng-Chun Yang for mice. We also thank Drs. Frank Lovicu and Judith West-Mays for advice on lens explant culture. The work was supported by NIH (EY017061 to XZ). The Columbia Ophthalmology Core Facility is supported by NIH Core grant 5P30EY019007 and unrestricted funds from Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). Xin Zhang is supported by Jules and Doris Stein Research to Prevent Blindness Professorship. Tamica Collins is a recipient of Edwin T Harper Scholarship. Funding Information: National Eye Institute EY017061 Tamica N Collins Yingyu Mao Hongge Li Angela Hong Xin Zhang National Eye Institute 5P30EY019007 Xin Zhang Research to Prevent Blindness Jules and Doris Stein professorship Xin Zhang The authors thank Drs. Chu-Xia Deng, Raj Ladher, Richard Lang, Alexei Morozov, Lars Nitschke, David Ornitz, Ruth Ashery-Padan, Philippe Soriano and Feng-Chun Yang for mice. We also thank Drs. Frank Lovicu and Judith West-Mays for advice on lens explant culture. The work was supported by NIH (EY017061 to XZ). The Columbia Ophthalmology Core Facility is supported by NIH Core grant 5P30EY019007 and unrestricted funds from Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). Xin Zhang is supported by Jules and Doris Stein Research to Prevent Blindness Professorship. Tamica Collins is a recipient of Edwin T Harper Scholarship. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Collins et al.",
year = "2018",
month = jan,
day = "23",
doi = "10.7554/eLife.32586",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "7",
journal = "eLife",
issn = "2050-084X",
publisher = "eLife Sciences Publications",
}