rab-7 (C. elegans, Q23146) - manual literature review

No deep-research provider API keys were available, so this summary was compiled by hand
from the cached publications in publications/ and PubMed searches ("rab-7 elegans",
56 hits on 2026-10-28). Claims carry inline provenance.

Identity

• W03C9.3, 209 aa, unreviewed TrEMBL entry Q23146. Rab family small GTPase with Switch-I
  (36-44) and Switch-II (67-83) regions and a C-terminal disordered tail ending in a CXC
  prenylation motif ("Belongs to the small GTPase superfamily. Rab family.", UniProt
  Q23146, PROSITE-ProRule PRU00753).
• Single C. elegans Rab7 ortholog PMID:18351800.

Biochemistry

• Intrinsic GTPase activity stimulated by the Rab GAP RBG-3 PMID:17762880.
• TBC-2 accelerates GTP hydrolysis by RAB-5 and more weakly RAB-7 PMID:20462958.
• GTP binding is required: GDP-locked T23N fails to rescue rab-7(ok511) PMID:18351800.

Localization

• Late endosomes and lysosomes in the intestine PMID:16801682.
• Appears on maturing endosomes during early-to-late conversion in coelomocytes PMID:26783301.
• Late endosome marker in intestine [PMID:23840591 "RAB-7-positive late endosomes were more abundant and formed aggregates and tubular structures" (in gbf-1 RNAi)]; PMID:19915558.
• Phagosomes containing apoptotic cells PMID:18351800.

Processes

• Endosome and endosome-to-lysosome traffic; SAND-1/Mon1 is needed for RAB-7 function at the early-to-late transition but not at lysosomes PMID:17203072.
• Yolk trafficking in oocytes: rab-7 RNAi mislocalizes YP170::GFP to large peripheral vesicles without blocking uptake PMID:10588660.
• Phagolysosome formation during apoptotic cell clearance, downstream of CED-1 PMID:18351800; acts after RAB-14/UNC-108 PMID:20921409.
• Recruits the lysosome scission factor HPO-27 PMID:38538795.
• Fat storage: rab-7 loss reduces stored fat, downstream of TUB-1/RBG-3 PMID:17762880; an indirect organismal phenotype.

Phenotypes (not used for NEW process terms)

• rab-7(ok511) m-z- embryos: maternal-effect lethality and persistent cell corpses PMID:18351800.
• RNAi progeny mildly Dpy PMID:10588660.