Rho GTPases as regulators of morphological neuroplasticity

Article ID	Journal	Published Year	Pages	File Type
8461986	Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger	2011	8 Pages	PDF

Abstract

GTPases function as intracellular, bimolecular switches by adopting different conformational states in response to binding GDP or GTP. Their activation is mediated through cell-surface receptors. Rho GTPases act on several downstream effectors involved in cellular morphogenesis, cell polarity, migration and cell division. In neurons, Rho GTPases regulate various features of dendritic and axonal outgrowth during development and regeneration mainly through their effects on the cytoskeleton. This review summarizes the main functions of Rho, Rac and Cdc42 GTPases as key regulators of morphological neuroplasticity under normal and pathological conditions.

Keywords

N-WASP FGF-2 PAK LPA CDC42 NGF GEF GSK-3β MLC Jun N-terminal kinase ERK FAK NT3 neural Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein Cdc42/Rac interactive binding GDI DRG Jnk PI3K cAMP Par6 Cyclic adenosine monophosphate lysophosphatidic acid myosin light chain GAP fibroblast growth factor 2 guanine nucleotide exchange factor nerve growth factor phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor map neurotrophin-3 GTPase-activating protein mitogen-activated protein cell division control protein 42 homolog PiP extracellular signal-regulated kinase p21-activated kinase focal adhesion kinase dorsal root ganglia Glycogen synthase kinase-3β CRIB