Yeast formins regulate cell polarity by controlling the assembly of actin cables

Abstract

Formins are conserved Rho-GTPase effectors that communicate Rho-GTPase signals to the cytoskeleton. We found that formins were required for the assembly of one of the three budding yeast actin structures: polarized arrays of actin cables. A dominant-active formin induced the assembly of actin cables. The activation and localization of the formin Bni1p required components of the polarisome complex. These findings potentially define the cellular function of formins in budding yeast and explain their involvement in the generation of cell polarity. A requirement for formins in constructing specific actin structures might be the basis for the diverse activities of formins in development.