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Review
. 2019 Jul 16:7:127.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00127. eCollection 2019.

Multifaceted Rho GTPase Signaling at the Endomembranes

Santosh Phuyal  1 , Hesso Farhan  1
Affiliations
Review

Multifaceted Rho GTPase Signaling at the Endomembranes

Santosh Phuyal et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

The Rho family of small GTPases orchestrates fundamental biological processes such as cell cycle progression, cell migration, and actin cytoskeleton dynamics, and their aberrant signaling is linked to numerous human diseases and disorders. Traditionally, active Rho GTPase proteins were proposed to reside and function predominantly at the plasma membrane. While this view still holds true, it is emerging that active pool of multiple Rho GTPases are in part localized to endomembranes such as endosomes and the Golgi. In this review, we will focus on the intracellular pools and discuss how their local activation contributes to the shaping of various cellular processes. Our main focus will be on Rho signaling from the endosomes, Golgi, mitochondria and nucleus and how they regulate multiple cellular events such as receptor trafficking, cell proliferation and differentiation, cell migration and polarity.

Keywords: Cdc42; Golgi; Rac1; RhoA; RhoB; RhoD; endocytosis; membrane trafficking.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic illustration depicting Rho GTPase signaling from endosomes. A number of Rho family members residing at endosomes generate localized signaling output to regulate a wide array of biological functions.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Rho GTPase signaling from the Golgi complex. A number of Rho family members localize to the Golgi apparatus and regulate Golgi morphology, intra-Golgi trafficking and actin dynamics at the Golgi. The figure highlights function of some of the Rho GTPases at the Golgi.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Rho GTPase signaling from the mitochondria and the nucleus. Rac1, a member of the Rho family, localizes to the mitochondria and interacts with BCL-2 to enhance its anti-apoptotic activity. It is unknown whether other members of Rho family localize to the mitochondria. Nuclear localization and a wide range of functional roles has also been described for several members of the Rho GTPase family.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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