Rho A and Rac1: Antagonists moving forward

Gilbert Salloum; Leila Jaafar; Mirvat El-Sibai

doi:10.1016/j.tice.2020.101364

Rho A and Rac1: Antagonists moving forward

Tissue Cell. 2020 Aug:65:101364. doi: 10.1016/j.tice.2020.101364. Epub 2020 Apr 11.

Authors

Gilbert Salloum¹, Leila Jaafar¹, Mirvat El-Sibai²

Affiliations

¹ Natural Science Department, School of Arts and Science, Lebanese American University, Lebanon.
² Natural Science Department, School of Arts and Science, Lebanese American University, Lebanon. Electronic address: mirvat.elsibai@lau.edu.lb.

PMID: 32746999
DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2020.101364

Abstract

Cells detect external stimuli through cell-surface receptors. In cases where the stimulus is a cytokine or a growth factor, the cell responds by inducing modifications in the actin cytoskeleton. These changes are mediated through the Rho family of GTPases. Among these GTPases, RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 have been extensively studied. The activity of these proteins is closely monitored and tightly regulated through Guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) that turn the "switch" on and off respectively. Crosstalk between Rho GTPases has been long studied; yet many questions are raised regarding the spatiotemporal regulation of these GTPases, particularly RhoA and Rac1. This review sheds a light on the antagonistic relationship between both GTPases and puts emphasis on the importance of cycling of RhoA activation at the focal adhesions for optimal cell migration.

Keywords: Focal adhesions; Migration; Rac1; RhoA.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Adhesion
Cell Movement
Humans
Models, Biological
rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / metabolism*
rho GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

rac1 GTP-Binding Protein
rho GTP-Binding Proteins