scholarly journals Autoactivation of small GTPases by the GEF–effector positive feedback modules

F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew B. Goryachev ◽  
Marcin Leda
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Exciting Area

Small GTPases are organizers of a plethora of cellular processes. The time and place of their activation are tightly controlled by the localization and activation of their regulators, guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). Remarkably, in some systems, the upstream regulators of GTPases are also found downstream of their activity. Resulting feedback loops can generate complex spatiotemporal dynamics of GTPases with important functional consequences. Here we discuss the concept of positive autoregulation of small GTPases by the GEF–effector feedback modules and survey recent developments in this exciting area of cell biology.

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 Integration of Rap1 and Calcium Signaling

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramoji Kosuru ◽  
Magdalena Chrzanowska
Keyword(s):  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate ◽  
Adenosine Monophosphate ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Cardiac Excitation

Ca2+ is a universal intracellular signal. The modulation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration regulates a plethora of cellular processes, such as: synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival, chemotaxis of immune cells, platelet aggregation, vasodilation, and cardiac excitation–contraction coupling. Rap1 GTPases are ubiquitously expressed binary switches that alternate between active and inactive states and are regulated by diverse families of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). Active Rap1 couples extracellular stimulation with intracellular signaling through secondary messengers—cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), Ca2+, and diacylglycerol (DAG). Much evidence indicates that Rap1 signaling intersects with Ca2+ signaling pathways to control the important cellular functions of platelet activation or neuronal plasticity. Rap1 acts as an effector of Ca2+ signaling when activated by mechanisms involving Ca2+ and DAG-activated (CalDAG-) GEFs. Conversely, activated by other GEFs, such as cAMP-dependent GEF Epac, Rap1 controls cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels. It does so by regulating the activity of Ca2+ signaling proteins such as sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA). In this review, we focus on the physiological significance of the links between Rap1 and Ca2+ signaling and emphasize the molecular interactions that may offer new targets for the therapy of Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis, among other diseases.

scholarly journals The RhoGEF Trio: A Protein with a Wide Range of Functions in the Vascular Endothelium

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 10168
Author(s):  
Lanette Kempers ◽  
Amber J. M. Driessen ◽  
Jos van Rijssel ◽  
Martijn A. Nolte ◽  
Jaap D. van Buul
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Endothelial Cell Function ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Range Of Functions

Many cellular processes are controlled by small GTPases, which can be activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). The RhoGEF Trio contains two GEF domains that differentially activate the small GTPases such as Rac1/RhoG and RhoA. These small RhoGTPases are mainly involved in the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. In the endothelium, they regulate junctional stabilization and play a crucial role in angiogenesis and endothelial barrier integrity. Multiple extracellular signals originating from different vascular processes can influence the activity of Trio and thereby the regulation of the forementioned small GTPases and actin cytoskeleton. This review elucidates how various signals regulate Trio in a distinct manner, resulting in different functional outcomes that are crucial for endothelial cell function in response to inflammation.

scholarly journals Ancient complement and lineage-specific evolution of the Sec7 ARF GEF proteins in eukaryotes

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (15) ◽  
pp. 1846-1863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta V. Pipaliya ◽  
Alexander Schlacht ◽  
Christen M. Klinger ◽  
Richard A. Kahn ◽  
Joel Dacks
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) are the initiators of signaling by every regulatory GTPase, which in turn act to regulate a wide array of essential cellular processes. To date, each family of GTPases is activated by distinct families of GEFs. Bidirectional membrane trafficking is regulated by ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) GTPases and the development throughout eukaryotic evolution of increasingly complex systems of such traffic required the acquisition of a functionally diverse cohort of ARF GEFs to control it. We performed phylogenetic analyses of ARF GEFs in eukaryotes, defined by the presence of the Sec7 domain, and found three subfamilies (BIG, GBF1, and cytohesins) to have been present in the ancestor of all eukaryotes. The four other subfamilies (EFA6/PSD, IQSEC7/BRAG, FBX8, and TBS) are opisthokont, holozoan, metazoan, and alveolate/haptophyte specific, respectively, and each is derived from cytohesins. We also identified a cytohesin-derived subfamily, termed ankyrin repeat-containing cytohesin, that independently evolved in amoebozoans and members of the SAR and haptophyte clades. Building on evolutionary data for the ARF family GTPases and their GTPase-­activating proteins allowed the generation of hypotheses about ARF GEF protein function(s) as well as a better understanding of the origins and evolution of cellular complexity in eukaryotes.

ARF small GTPases in the developmental function mediated by ARF regulators GNOM and VAN3

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciek Adamowski ◽  
Ivana Matijević ◽  
Jiří Friml
Keyword(s):  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Gene Group ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Developmental Patterning ◽  
Branching Angle

ARF small GTPases are molecular switches acting in intracellular trafficking. Their cycles of activity are controlled by regulators, ARF Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors (ARF-GEFs) and ARF GTPase Activating Proteins (ARF-GAPs). The ARF-GEF GNOM (GN) and the ARF-GAP VAN3 share a prominent function in auxin-mediated developmental patterning, but the ARFs which they might control were not identified. We conducted a loss-of-function and localization-based screening of the ARF/ARF-LIKE gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana with the primary aim of identifying functional partners of GN and VAN3, while extending the limited understanding of this gene group as a whole. We identified a function of ARLA1 in branching angle control. Mutants lacking the variably localized ARLB1, ARFB1, ARFC1, ARFD1, and ARF3, even in high order combinations, do not exhibit any evident phenotypes. Loss of function arfa1 phenotypes support a major role of ARFA1 in growth and development overall, but patterning defects typical to gn loss of function are not found. ARFA1 are not localized at the plasma membrane, where GN and VAN3 carry out developmental patterning function according to current models. Taken together, putative ARF partners of GN and VAN3 in developmental patterning cannot be conclusively identified.

Centaurin-α1 and KIF13B kinesin motor protein interaction in ARF6 signalling

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1279-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Kanamarlapudi
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Motor Protein ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Kinesin Motor ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Gtp Binding ◽  
Cytoskeletal Dynamics

The ARF (ADP-ribosylation factor) family of small GTPases regulate intracellular membrane trafficking by cycling between an inactive GDP- and an active GTP-bound form. Among the six known mammalian ARFs (ARF1–ARF6), ARF6 is the least conserved and plays critical roles in membrane trafficking and cytoskeletal dynamics near the cell surface. Since ARFs have undetectable levels of intrinsic GTP binding and hydrolysis, they are totally dependent on extrinsic GEFs (guanine nucleotide-exchange factors) for GTP binding and GAPs (GTPase-activating proteins) for GTP hydrolysis. We have recently isolated a novel KIF (kinesin) motor protein (KIF13B) that binds to centaurin-α1, an ARF6GAP that binds to the second messenger PIP3 [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3]. KIFs transport intracellular vesicles and recognize their cargo by binding to proteins (receptors) localized on the surface of the cargo vesicles. Identification of centaurin-α1 as a KIF13B interactor suggests that KIF13B may transport ARF6 and/or PIP3 using centaurin-α1 as its receptor. This paper reviews the studies carried out to assess the interaction and regulation of centaurin-α1 by KIF13B.

scholarly journals Structural Insights into the Regulation Mechanism of Small GTPases by GEFs

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (18) ◽  
pp. 3308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toma-Fukai ◽  
Shimizu
Keyword(s):  
Bound States ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Cellular Events ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Downstream Effectors

Small GTPases are key regulators of cellular events, and their dysfunction causes many types of cancer. They serve as molecular switches by cycling between inactive guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound and active guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound states. GTPases are deactivated by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) and are activated by guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). The intrinsic GTP hydrolysis activity of small GTPases is generally low and is accelerated by GAPs. GEFs promote GDP dissociation from small GTPases to allow for GTP binding, which results in a conformational change of two highly flexible segments, called switch I and switch II, that enables binding of the gamma phosphate and allows small GTPases to interact with downstream effectors. For several decades, crystal structures of many GEFs and GAPs have been reported and have shown tremendous structural diversity. In this review, we focus on the latest structural studies of GEFs. Detailed pictures of the variety of GEF mechanisms at atomic resolution can provide insights into new approaches for drug discovery.

scholarly journals ARF family GTPases with links to cilia

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (2) ◽  
pp. C404-C418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Skylar Fisher ◽  
Damian Kuna ◽  
Tamara Caspary ◽  
Richard A. Kahn ◽  
Elizabeth Sztul
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Primary Cilia ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Vesicular Traffic ◽  
General Utility ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins

The ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) superfamily of regulatory GTPases, including both the ARF and ARF-like (ARL) proteins, control a multitude of cellular functions, including aspects of vesicular traffic, lipid metabolism, mitochondrial architecture, the assembly and dynamics of the microtubule and actin cytoskeletons, and other pathways in cell biology. Considering their general utility, it is perhaps not surprising that increasingly ARF/ARLs have been found in connection to primary cilia. Here, we critically evaluate the current knowledge of the roles four ARF/ARLs (ARF4, ARL3, ARL6, ARL13B) play in cilia and highlight key missing information that would help move our understanding forward. Importantly, these GTPases are themselves regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that activate them and by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) that act as both effectors and terminators of signaling. We believe that the identification of the GEFs and GAPs and better models of the actions of these GTPases and their regulators will provide a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the mechanisms that underly ciliary functions and the causes of a number of human ciliopathies.

Characterization of the activation of small GTPases by their GEFs on membranes using artificial membrane tethering

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (7) ◽  
pp. 1259-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Peurois ◽  
Simon Veyron ◽  
Yann Ferrandez ◽  
Ilham Ladid ◽  
Sarah Benabdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factors ◽  
Gtpase Activating Proteins ◽  
Membrane Tethering ◽  
Quantitative Understanding ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Histidine Tag

Active, GTP-bound small GTPases need to be attached to membranes by post-translational lipid modifications in order to process and propagate information in cells. However, generating and manipulating lipidated GTPases has remained difficult, which has limited our quantitative understanding of their activation by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and their termination by GTPase-activating proteins. Here, we replaced the lipid modification by a histidine tag in 11 full-length, human small GTPases belonging to the Arf, Rho and Rab families, which allowed to tether them to nickel–lipid-containing membranes and characterize the kinetics of their activation by GEFs. Remarkably, this strategy uncovered large effects of membranes on the efficiency and/or specificity in all systems studied. Notably, it recapitulated the release of autoinhibition of Arf1, Arf3, Arf4, Arf5 and Arf6 GTPases by membranes and revealed that all isoforms are efficiently activated by two GEFs with different regulatory regimes, ARNO and Brag2. It demonstrated that membranes stimulate the GEF activity of Trio toward RhoG by ∼30 fold and Rac1 by ∼10 fold, and uncovered a previously unknown broader specificity toward RhoA and Cdc42 that was undetectable in solution. Finally, it demonstrated that the exceptional affinity of the bacterial RabGEF DrrA for the phosphoinositide PI(4)P delimits the activation of Rab1 to the immediate vicinity of the membrane-bound GEF. Our study thus validates the histidine-tag strategy as a potent and simple means to mimic small GTPase lipidation, which opens a variety of applications to uncover regulations brought about by membranes.

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