RhoB: Team Oncogene or Team Tumor Suppressor?

Julia A Ju; Daniele M Gilkes

doi:10.3390/genes9020067

RhoB: Team Oncogene or Team Tumor Suppressor?

Genes (Basel). 2018 Jan 30;9(2):67. doi: 10.3390/genes9020067.

Authors

Julia A Ju^{1

2}, Daniele M Gilkes^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA. jju4@jhu.edu.
² Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. jju4@jhu.edu.
³ Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA. dgilkes1@jhu.edu.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. dgilkes1@jhu.edu.

Abstract

Although Rho GTPases RhoA, RhoB, and RhoC share more than 85% amino acid sequence identity, they play very distinct roles in tumor progression. RhoA and RhoC have been suggested in many studies to contribute positively to tumor development, but the role of RhoB in cancer remains elusive. RhoB contains a unique C-terminal region that undergoes specific post-translational modifications affecting its localization and function. In contrast to RhoA and RhoC, RhoB not only localizes at the plasma membrane, but also on endosomes, multivesicular bodies and has even been identified in the nucleus. These unique features are what contribute to the diversity and potentially opposing functions of RhoB in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we discuss the dualistic role that RhoB plays as both an oncogene and tumor suppressor in the context of cancer development and progression.

Keywords: Rho GTPases; RhoB; cancer progression; oncogene; oncojanus genes; tumor suppressor genes.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding