title: Cell-cell junction formation: the role of Rap1 and Rap1 guanine nucleotide exchange factors.
abstract: Rap proteins are Ras-like small GTP-binding proteins that amongst others are involved in the control of cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion. Several Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RapGEFs) function to activate Rap. These multi-domain proteins, which include C3G, Epacs, PDZ-GEFs, RapGRPs and DOCK4, are regulated by various different stimuli and may function at different levels in junction formation. Downstream of Rap, a number of effector proteins have been implicated in junctional control, most notably the adaptor proteins AF6 and KRIT/CCM1. In this review, we will highlight the latest findings on the Rap signaling network in the control of epithelial and endothelial cell-cell junctions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Chemistry, Centre for Biomedical Genetics and Cancer Genomics Centre, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Willem-Jan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Pannekoek
authors.forename: Matthijs R H
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kooistra
authors.forename: Fried J T
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Zwartkruis
authors.forename: Johannes L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bos
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; C116122:RAPGEF3 protein, human; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins