scholarly journals Regulating Rac in the Nervous System: Molecular Function and Disease Implication of Rac GEFs and GAPs

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyang Bai ◽  
Xiaoliang Xiang ◽  
Chunmei Liang ◽  
Lei Shi
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Molecular Function ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Neuronal Functions

Rho family GTPases, including RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 as the most studied members, are master regulators of actin cytoskeletal organization. Rho GTPases control various aspects of the nervous system and are associated with a number of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. The activity of Rho GTPases is controlled by two families of regulators, guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) as the activators and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) as the inhibitors. Through coordinated regulation by GEFs and GAPs, Rho GTPases act as converging signaling molecules that convey different upstream signals in the nervous system. So far, more than 70 members of either GEFs or GAPs of Rho GTPases have been identified in mammals, but only a small subset of them have well-known functions. Thus, characterization of important GEFs and GAPs in the nervous system is crucial for the understanding of spatiotemporal dynamics of Rho GTPase activity in different neuronal functions. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of GEFs and GAPs for Rac1, with emphasis on the molecular function and disease implication of these regulators in the nervous system.

scholarly journals Hormones Secretion and Rho GTPases in Neuroendocrine Tumors

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1859
Author(s):  
Laura Streit ◽  
Laurent Brunaud ◽  
Nicolas Vitale ◽  
Stéphane Ory ◽  
Stéphane Gasman
Keyword(s):  
Neuroendocrine Tumors ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) belong to a heterogeneous group of neoplasms arising from hormone secreting cells. These tumors are often associated with a dysfunction of their secretory activity. Neuroendocrine secretion occurs through calcium-regulated exocytosis, a process that is tightly controlled by Rho GTPases family members. In this review, we compiled the numerous mutations and modification of expression levels of Rho GTPases or their regulators (Rho guanine nucleotide-exchange factors and Rho GTPase-activating proteins) that have been identified in NETs. We discussed how they might regulate neuroendocrine secretion.

scholarly journals Rho GTPase signaling complexes in cell migration and invasion

2017 ◽  
Vol 217 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Campbell D. Lawson ◽  
Anne J. Ridley
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Gtpase Activity ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Dynamic Formation

Cell migration is dependent on the dynamic formation and disassembly of actin filament–based structures, including lamellipodia, filopodia, invadopodia, and membrane blebs, as well as on cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix adhesions. These processes all involve Rho family small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), which are regulated by the opposing actions of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). Rho GTPase activity needs to be precisely tuned at distinct cellular locations to enable cells to move in response to different environments and stimuli. In this review, we focus on the ability of RhoGEFs and RhoGAPs to form complexes with diverse binding partners, and describe how this influences their ability to control localized GTPase activity in the context of migration and invasion.

scholarly journals Turning Platelets Off and On: Role of RhoGAPs and RhoGEFs in Platelet Activity

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane P. Comer
Keyword(s):  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Bound States ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Platelet Activity ◽  
Platelet Surface ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors

Platelet cytoskeletal reorganisation is a critical component of platelet activation and thrombus formation in haemostasis. The Rho GTPases RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 are the primary drivers in the dynamic reorganisation process, leading to the development of filopodia and lamellipodia which dramatically increase platelet surface area upon activation. Rho GTPases cycle between their active (GTP-bound) and inactive (GDP-bound) states through tightly regulated processes, central to which are the guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). GEFs catalyse the dissociation of GDP by inducing changes in the nucleotide binding site, facilitating GTP binding and activating Rho GTPases. By contrast, while all GTPases possess intrinsic hydrolysing activity, this reaction is extremely slow. Therefore, GAPs catalyse the hydrolysis of GTP to GDP, reverting Rho GTPases to their inactive state. Our current knowledge of these proteins is constantly being updated but there is considerably less known about the functionality of Rho GTPase specific GAPs and GEFs in platelets. In the present review, we discuss GAP and GEF proteins for Rho GTPases identified in platelets, their regulation, biological function and present a case for their further study in platelets.

scholarly journals The dynamics of spatio-temporal Rho GTPase signaling: formation of signaling patterns

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Dominik Fritz ◽  
Olivier Pertz
Keyword(s):  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Gtpase Activity ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Temporal Complexity ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Rho GTPases are crucial signaling molecules that regulate a plethora of biological functions. Traditional biochemical, cell biological, and genetic approaches have founded the basis of Rho GTPase biology. The development of biosensors then allowed measuring Rho GTPase activity with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. This revealed that Rho GTPase activity fluctuates on time and length scales of tens of seconds and micrometers, respectively. In this review, we describe Rho GTPase activity patterns observed in different cell systems. We then discuss the growing body of evidence that upstream regulators such as guanine nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins shape these patterns by precisely controlling the spatio-temporal flux of Rho GTPase activity. Finally, we comment on additional mechanisms that might feed into the regulation of these signaling patterns and on novel technologies required to dissect this spatio-temporal complexity.

Regulation of Rap GTPases in mammalian neurons

2016 ◽  
Vol 397 (10) ◽  
pp. 1055-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhavin Shah ◽  
Andreas W. Püschel
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Mature Neurons

Abstract Small GTPases are central regulators of many cellular processes. The highly conserved Rap GTPases perform essential functions in the mammalian nervous system during development and in mature neurons. During neocortical development, Rap1 is required to regulate cadherin- and integrin-mediated adhesion. In the adult nervous system Rap1 and Rap2 regulate the maturation and plasticity of dendritic spine and synapses. Although genetic studies have revealed important roles of Rap GTPases in neurons, their regulation by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that activate them and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) that inactivate them by stimulating their intrinsic GTPase activity is just beginning to be explored in vivo. Here we review how GEFs and GAPs regulate Rap GTPases in the nervous system with a focus on their in vivo function.

scholarly journals Paxillin kinase linker (PKL) regulates Vav2 signaling during cell spreading and migration

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 1882-1894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Jones ◽  
Kazuya Machida ◽  
Bruce J. Mayer ◽  
Christopher E. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Migrating Cells

The Rho family of GTPases plays an important role in coordinating dynamic changes in the cell migration machinery after integrin engagement with the extracellular matrix. Rho GTPases are activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and negatively regulated by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). However, the mechanisms by which GEFs and GAPs are spatially and temporally regulated are poorly understood. Here the activity of the proto-oncogene Vav2, a GEF for Rac1, RhoA, and Cdc42, is shown to be regulated by a phosphorylation-dependent interaction with the ArfGAP PKL (GIT2). PKL is required for Vav2 activation downstream of integrin engagement and epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation. In turn, Vav2 regulates the subsequent redistribution of PKL and the Rac1 GEF β-PIX to focal adhesions after EGF stimulation, suggesting a feedforward signaling loop that coordinates PKL-dependent Vav2 activation and PKL localization. Of interest, Vav2 is required for the efficient localization of PKL and β-PIX to the leading edge of migrating cells, and knockdown of Vav2 results in a decrease in directional persistence and polarization in migrating cells, suggesting a coordination between PKL/Vav2 signaling and PKL/β-PIX signaling during cell migration.

scholarly journals Small interfering RNAs as a tool to assign Rho GTPase exchange-factor function in vivo

2002 ◽  
Vol 366 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra GAMPEL ◽  
Harry MELLOR
Keyword(s):  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Exchange Factor ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Rho Gef

Rho GTPases control a complex network of intracellular signalling pathways. Whereas progress has been made in identifying downstream signalling partners for these proteins, the characterization of Rho upstream regulatory guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) has been hampered by a lack of suitable research tools. Here we use small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to examine the cellular regulation of the RhoB GTPase, and show that RhoB is activated downstream of the epidermal-growth-factor receptor through the Vav2 exchange factor. These studies demonstrate that siRNAs are an ideal research tool for the assignment of Rho GEF function in vivo.

scholarly journals The Multiple Functions of Rho GTPases in Fission Yeasts

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1422
Author(s):  
Jero Vicente-Soler ◽  
Teresa Soto ◽  
Alejandro Franco ◽  
José Cansado ◽  
Marisa Madrid
Keyword(s):  
Fission Yeast ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Rho Family

The Rho family of GTPases represents highly conserved molecular switches involved in a plethora of physiological processes. Fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has become a fundamental model organism to study the functions of Rho GTPases over the past few decades. In recent years, another fission yeast species, Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, has come into focus offering insight into evolutionary changes within the genus. Both fission yeasts contain only six Rho-type GTPases that are spatiotemporally controlled by multiple guanine–nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), and whose intricate regulation in response to external cues is starting to be uncovered. In the present review, we will outline and discuss the current knowledge and recent advances on how the fission yeasts Rho family GTPases regulate essential physiological processes such as morphogenesis and polarity, cellular integrity, cytokinesis and cellular differentiation.

scholarly journals RAP, a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases and its putative GTPase activating proteins and guanine nucleotide exchange factors in raw 264.7 macrophages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Tucholska
Keyword(s):  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Raw 264.7 ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Fcγ Receptor ◽  
Raw 264.7 Macrophages ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Ras Superfamily

The Fcγ receptor is a cell surface protein essential in the immune response that binds IgG-opsonized particles resulting in phagocytosis. Phagocytosis is a process used to remove pathogens and confine them in a vacuole that will enable their breakdown. The members of the Ras superfamily of small G proteins have been identified in samples where the activated Fcγ receptor complex was captured and analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry. The protein Rap. beloning to the Ras superfamily, guanosine triphosphatases (GTPase) activating proteins (GAPs), which promote the dissociation of GTP, and guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), that permits the exchange of GDP for GTP, were detected by SEQUEST in RAW 264.7 macrophages and futher analyzed using various methods. In this study, Raps, RasGAPs, and RapGEFs, were observed by tandem mass spectrometry and sequence correlation analysis. The selected isoforms were confirmed by Western blots, live cell confocal microscopy with fluorescent fusion constructs and antibody staining to verify the localization of Ras proetins, specifically Rap1, p120RasGAP and C3G, a RapGEF, to activated Fc reeceptor [sic].

scholarly journals Selectivity of Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor-mediated Cdc42 activation in primary human endothelial cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie R. Reinhard ◽  
Sanne van der Niet ◽  
Anna Chertkova ◽  
Marten Postma ◽  
Peter L. Hordijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Actin Dynamics ◽  
Pleckstrin Homology Domain ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Dh Domain

AbstractThe Rho GTPase family is involved in actin dynamics and regulates the barrier function of the endothelium. One of the main barrier-promoting Rho GTPases is Cdc42, also known as cell division control protein 42 homolog. Currently, regulation of Cdc42-based signaling networks in endothelial cells (ECs) lack molecular details. To examine these, we focused on a subset of 15 Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), which are expressed in the endothelium. By performing single cell FRET measurements with Rho GTPase biosensors in primary human ECs, we monitored GEF efficiency towards Cdc42 and Rac1. A new, single cell-based analysis was developed and used to enable the quantitative comparison of cellular activities of the full-length GEFs. Our data reveal a specific GEF dependent activation profile, with most efficient Cdc42 activation induced by PLEKHG2, FGD1, PLEKHG1 and pRex1 and the highest selectivity for FGD1. Additionally, we generated truncated GEF constructs that comprise only the catalytic dbl homology (DH) domain or together with the adjacent pleckstrin homology domain (DHPH). The DH domain by itself did not activate Cdc42, whereas the DHPH domain of ITSN1, ITSN2 and PLEKHG1 showed activity towards Cdc42. Together, our study characterized endothelial GEFs that may activate Cdc42, which will be of great value for the field of vascular biology.Abstract FigureGraphical Abstract

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