title: DLC-1:a Rho GTPase-activating protein and tumour suppressor.
abstract: The deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC-1) gene encodes a GTPase activating protein that acts as a negative regulator of the Rho family of small GTPases. Rho proteins transduce signals that influence cell morphology and physiology, and their aberrant up-regulation is a key factor in the neoplastic process, including metastasis. Since its discovery, compelling evidence has accumulated that demonstrates a role for DLC-1 as a bona fide tumour suppressor gene in different types of human cancer. Loss of DLC-1 expression mediated by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms has been associated with the development of many human cancers, and restoration of DLC-1 expression inhibited the growth of tumour cells in vivo and in vitro. Two closely related genes, DLC-2 and DLC-3, may also be tumour suppressors. This review presents the current status of progress in understanding the biological functions of DLC-1 and its relatives and their roles in neoplasia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Marian E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Durkin
authors.forename: Bao-Zhu
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Drazen B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Zimonjic
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lowy
authors.forename: Snorri S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Thorgeirsson
authors.forename: Nicholas C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Popescu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C085379:rho GTPase-activating protein