Expression of constitutively active alpha-PAK reveals effects of the kinase on actin and focal complexes

Transfection shows that in epithelial HeLa cells alpha-PAK is recruited from the cytoplasm to distinct focal complexes by both Cdc42(G 12V) and Rac1(G12V), which themselves colocalize to these sites, which support previous suggestions of a role for PAK downstream of both CDC42 and Rac 1 and indicate that PAK functions include the dissolution of stress fibers and reorganization of focal complexes.