Sufficiency of active Rac to drive whole tissue phagocytosis in vivo

The Rho family of small GTPases, Rac, Rho, and Cdc42 represent central nodes in the cytoskeletal and signaling networks that drive cell migration and engulfment. How cells utilize the same RhoGTPase networks to promote different processes in different contexts is not thoroughly understood. We address this question in the Drosophila ovary. Our results indicate that focal and transient activation of Rac promotes protrusion and motility, whereas high and sustained Rac activation promotes phagocytosis, initially of living cells, ultimately resulting in destruction of the whole tissue.