Rac 'n Rho: the music that shapes a developing embryo.
The small GTPases of the Rho subfamily constitute a group of evolutionarily conserved proteins that mediate signaling pathways that regulate a variety of cellular processes, many of which are associated with dynamic cytoskeletal reorganization. These processes determine the shape, adhesive properties, and movement of cells, and the Rho GTPases have therefore been implicated in the complex morphogenesis of tissues in developing multicellular organisms. The Drosophila genetic system has proved particularly useful in establishing the in vivo functions of several of the Rho GTPases and their associated signaling pathway components during development.
Settleman
J
J
Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA. settleman@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D047108:Embryonic Development; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins