title: RAC/ROP GTPases: 'hubs' for signal integration and diversification in plants.
abstract: RAC/ROP GTPases are a family of plant-specific signaling molecules solely representing the Ras and Rho family of Ras-related G proteins in plants. RAC/ROPs potentially interact with cell surface-associated signal perception apparatus for a broad range of extracellular stimuli, including hormones, pathogen elicitors and abiotic stress, and mediate diverse cellular pathways in response to these signals. They are also known to interact with multiple effectors, affecting cellular and biochemical systems that regulate actin dynamics, reactive oxygen species production, proteolysis, and gene expression. RAC/ROPs are, thus, ideally suited as integrators for multiple signals and as coordinators of diverse cellular pathways to control growth, differentiation, development and defense responses. Recent findings that suggest how RAC/ROP signaling activity is regulated and how functional specificity can be achieved are discussed here.
authors.affiliation: Plant Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Lederle Graduate Research Tower, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Amherst, MA 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Candida
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nibau
authors.forename: Hen-ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Alice Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Cheung
mesh_terms: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; C501663:ROP1 protein, Arabidopsis; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins