Apoptotic cells are removed from tissues by uptake mechanisms that depend on the GTPase Rac (CED-10 in C. elegans), which is activated by DOCK180/CED-5 in a trimolecular complex with ELMO/CED-12 and CrkII/CED-2.

Upstream components of this pathway in both worms and mammalian cells involve another GTPase, RhoG/MIG-2, and its activator TRIO/UNC-73.

See also

 apoptosis
 phagocytosis

References

 Henson PM. Engulfment: Ingestion and Migration with Rac, Rho and TRIO. Curr Biol. 2005 Jan 11;15(1):R29-30. PMID: #15649349#