Cell division control protein 42 homolog (Cdc42 or CDC42) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CDC42 gene. Cdc42 is involved in regulation of the cell cycle. It was originally identified in S. cerevisiae (yeast) as a mediator of cell division, and is now known to influence a variety of signaling events and cellular processes in a variety of organisms from yeast to mammals.
Human Cdc42 is a small GTPase of the Rho family, which regulates signaling pathways that control diverse cellular functions including cell morphology, cell migration, endocytosis and cell cycle progression. Rho GTPases are central to dynamic actin cytoskeletal assembly and rearrangement that are the basis of cell-cell adhesion and migration. Activated Cdc42 activates by causing conformational changes in p21-activated kinases PAK1 and PAK2, which in turn initiate actin reorganization and regulate cell adhesion, migration, and invasion.
Cdc42 is a homodimer with A and B chains. Its total length is 191 amino acids and its theoretical weight is 21.33 kDa. Its sequence domains include a P-loop containing nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase and a small GTP-binding protein domain.
Cdc42 cycles between an active GTP-bound state and an inactive GDP-bound state. This process is regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) which promote the exchange of bound GDP for free GTP, GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) which increase GTP hydrolysis activity, and GDP dissociation inhibitors which inhibit the dissociation of the nucleotide from the GTPase.
Recently, Cdc42 has been shown to actively assist in cancer progression. Several studies have established the basis for this and hypothesized about the underlying mechanisms.
Cdc42 is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal adenocarcinoma, melanoma, breast cancer, and testicular cancer. Elevated levels of the protein have been correlated with negative patient survival. Cdc42 has also been shown to be required for both G1-S phase progression and mitosis, and it also modulates the transcription factors SRF, STAT3, and NFkB.
Cette page est générée automatiquement et peut contenir des informations qui ne sont pas correctes, complètes, à jour ou pertinentes par rapport à votre recherche. Il en va de même pour toutes les autres pages de ce site. Veillez à vérifier les informations auprès des sources officielles de l'EPFL.
Explore les mécanismes de l'invasion et des métastases du cancer, en mettant l'accent sur le rôle critique de l'adhésion cellulaire, du recâblage de signalisation et de l'organotropisme.
Cell migration is a central process in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Tissue formation during embryonic development, wound healing and immune responses all require the orchestrated movement of cells in particular directions to specific locations. Cells often migrate in response to specific external signals, including chemical signals and mechanical signals. Errors during this process have serious consequences, including intellectual disability, vascular disease, tumor formation and metastasis.
vignette|droite|300 px|Structure de la GTPase placentaire CDC42 liée au GDP. Les GTPases sont une classe importante d'enzymes qui catalysent l'hydrolyse de la guanosine triphosphate (GTP) pour donner une guanosine diphosphate (GDP) et un ion phosphate. La fixation du GTP est effectuée par un domaine très conservé dans l'évolution, appelé domaine G, caractéristique de l'ensemble de cette superfamille. Cette hydrolyse est en général couplée à un autre processus biologique, comme la transduction du signal dans la cellule.
vignette|Actine G. vignette|Actine F. L'actine est une protéine bi-globulaire de de diamètre qui joue un rôle important dans l'architecture et les mouvements cellulaires [EN]. Elle est présente dans toutes les cellules du corps (c’est une protéine ubiquitaire), mais elle est particulièrement abondante dans les cellules musculaires. Elle peut représenter jusqu'à 15 % de la masse totale protéique des cellules. Cette protéine a été hautement conservée lors de l'évolution des eucaryotes, puisque l'identité entre un isotype d'actine humaine et l'actine de levure (S.
In this work, we revisit experimentally and theoretically the mechanics of a tape loop. Using primarily elastic materials (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS, or polycarbonate, PC) and confocal microscopy, we monitor the shape as well as the applied forces during ...
The small Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 is critical for cell polarization and polarizes spontaneously in absence of upstream spatial cues. Spontaneous polarization is thought to require dynamic Cdc42 recycling through Guanine nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitor (G ...
Public Library Science2015
When cells move using integrin-based focal adhesions, they pull in the direction of motion with large, â 1/4100 Pa, stresses that contract the substrate. Integrin-mediated adhesions, however, are not required for in vivo confined migration. During focal ad ...