The Structure and Functions of Small Rho GTPase Associated Kinases

Abstract: Small Rho GTPase protein family is a member of the Ras superfamily. The human Rho family of small GTPase is comprised of 20 members， of which RhoA， Rac1 and Cdc42 are best-studied. Small Rho GTPases are involved in many important biological processes， such as cell cytoskeleton regulation， cell migration， cell proliferation and cell cycle regulation. The downstream effectors (PAK， ROCK， PKN and MRCK) of small Rho GTPases play indispensible roles during the regulation of these biological processes. PAK regulates actin cytoskeleton dynamics and cell movement， and aslo is involved in MAPK mediated transcription， apoptosis and cell cycle progression; ROCK induces actin stress fiber and focal adhesion formation， and is a regulator of cell cycle progression as well; PKN regulates cell cytoskeleton rearrangement downstream of RhoA/B/C; MRCK is a central regulator in several physiological processes， like cell cytoskeleton rearrangement， nuclei rotation， microtubule organizing center relocation， cell movement and cancer cell invasion. Here， we summarize the current understanding of the structure information and functions of small Rho GTPase associated kinases in cell cytoskeleton rearrangement， highlighting the contribution of these kinases on the eukaryotic cell cycle regulation， especially the roles in cancer cell cycle progression. We are hoping to shed light on the cancer treatment via identifying some new therapeutic targets.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2014.07.0022