Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Innovation Center for Immunoregulation, Technologies and Drugs (AK Project), Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Eur J Cell Biol. 2013 Oct-Nov;92(10-11):303-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2013.09.002. Epub 2013 Oct 8.
Rho GTPase is a master regulator controlling cytoskeleton in multiple contexts such as cell migration, adhesion and cytokinesis. Of several Rho GTPases in mammals, the best characterized is the Rho subfamily including ubiquitously expressed RhoA and its homologs RhoB and RhoC. Upon binding GTP, Rho exerts its functions through downstream Rho effectors, such as ROCK, mDia, Citron, PKN, Rhophilin and Rhotekin. Until recently, our knowledge about functions of Rho and Rho effectors came mostly from in vitro studies utilizing cultured cells, and their physiological roles in vivo were largely unknown. However, gene-targeting studies of Rho and its effectors have now unraveled their tissue- and cell-specific roles and provide deeper insight into the physiological function of Rho signaling in vivo. In this article, we briefly describe previous studies of the function of Rho and its effectors in vitro and then review and discuss recent studies on knockout mice of Rho and its effectors.
Rho GTPase 是一种主控调节物，可在多种情况下控制细胞骨架，如细胞迁移、黏附和胞质分裂。在哺乳动物的几种 Rho GTPases 中，研究最充分的是 Rho 亚家族，包括广泛表达的 RhoA 及其同源物 RhoB 和 RhoC。Rho 与 GTP 结合后，通过下游 Rho 效应物（如 ROCK、mDia、Citron、PKN、Rhophilin 和 Rhotekin）发挥其功能。直到最近，我们对 Rho 和 Rho 效应物功能的了解主要来自于利用培养细胞进行的体外研究，而它们在体内的生理作用在很大程度上是未知的。然而，对 Rho 及其效应物的基因靶向研究已经揭示了它们在组织和细胞中的特异性作用，并深入了解了 Rho 信号在体内的生理功能。本文简要描述了 Rho 及其效应物在体外的功能的先前研究，然后综述和讨论了 Rho 及其效应物敲除小鼠的最新研究。
