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First published online March 12, 2004

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Rho's still as sweet

Rho-family GTPases, such as RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, are molecular switches that regulate processes including cell proliferation, cytoskeletal reorganization and cell migration. The past few years have seen immense progress in our understanding of the numerous roles of these proteins and in the development of techniques for examining them. Three Commentaries in this issue of JCS examine recent advances. On p. 1291, Sandrine Etienne-Manneville tackles Cdc42. Cdc42 appears to be central to control of cell polarity, and studies in yeast and higher eukaryotes have revealed details of its upstream activators, downstream effectors and the ultimate targets of Cdc42 signalling. Meanwhile, leaps forward in imaging have enabled researchers to develop fluorescent probes that can non-invasively monitor when and where Rho GTPases are active in cells. On p. 1313, Olivier Pertz and Klaus Hahn discuss the design of such biosensors, which take advantage of the numerous GFP variants available and ever more cunning fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) strategies. Finally, on p. 1301, Krister Wennerberg and Channing Der remind us that it is not just RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42: there are at least 25 Rho proteins. And although some may have functions resembling those of their more well known siblings, others, such as Rnd, might not even depend on GTP/GDP cycling.

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Related articles in JCS:

Cdc42 - the centre of polarity

Sandrine Etienne-Manneville
JCS 2004 117: 1291-1300. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

Rho-family GTPases: it's not only Rac and Rho (and I like it)

Krister Wennerberg and Channing J. Der
JCS 2004 117: 1301-1312. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

Designing biosensors for Rho family proteins — deciphering the dynamics of Rho family GTPase activation in living cells

Olivier Pertz and Klaus M. Hahn
JCS 2004 117: 1313-1318. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JCS Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?