Current Molecular Medicine - Volume 14, Issue 2, 2014

The low molecular weight GTP-binding protein RhoA regulates many cellular events, including cell migration, organization of the cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, progress through the cell cycle and gene expression. Physical forces influence these cellular processes in part by regulating RhoA activity through mechanotransduction of cell adhesion molecules (e.g. integrins, cadherins, Ig superfamily molecules). RhoA activity is regulated Read More

Three decades after the beginning of the study of the Wnt signaling pathway, major contributions have been made to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate this signaling pathway and its role in development, homeostasis and disease. However, there is still a lack of understanding about the relationships between Wnt signaling and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion. Data gathered in the last yea Read More

Rho guanine exchange factors (GEFs) are a large, diverse family of proteins defined by their ability to catalyze the exchange of GDP for GTP on small GTPase proteins such as Rho family members. GEFs act as integrators from varied intra- and extracellular sources to promote spatiotemporal activity of Rho GTPases that control signaling pathways regulating cell proliferation and movement. Here we review recent studies elucid Read More

Uncontrolled endosome trafficking is a common feature of certain cancer cells, which has been acknowledged during the last decade. Migration and invasiveness of metastatic tumor cells are both regulated by components of the endocytic machinery, including Rab proteins. Rab GTPases are essential in processes of endosome fusion, as well as targeting, tethering and transport along the cytoskeleton. In addition to this canoni Read More

The caspases are a family of ubiquitously expressed cysteine proteases best known for their roles in programmed cell death. However, caspases play a number of other roles in vertebrates. In the case of caspase-8, loss of expression is an embryonic lethal phenotype, and caspase-8 plays roles in suppressing cellular necrosis, promoting differentiation and immune signaling, regulating autophagy, and promoting cellular mig Read More

Caveolin-1 is a member of the caveolin family that has been ascribed a dual role in cancer. In early stages of disease the protein functions predominantly as a tumor suppressor, whereas at later stages, caveolin-1 expression is associated with tumor progression and metastasis. Here, some mechanisms associated with caveolin-1-dependent tumor suppression will be briefly discussed before focusing on the role of this Read More

Astrocytes in the normal brain possess a stellate shape reflecting their non-migratory properties. Alternatively, in neurodegenerative diseases or after injury, astrocytes become “reactive” in a process known as astrocytosis or reactive gliosis, retract their processes, become polarized and acquire front-to-rear asymmetry typical of migratory cells. On the other hand, neuronal migration is a common process during embryon Read More

Cell migration is a complex biological process that involves changes in shape and organization at the sub-cellular, cellular, and supra-cellular levels. Individual and collective cell migration can be assessed in vitro and in vivo starting from the flagellar driven movement of single sperm cells or bacteria, bacterial gliding and swarming, and amoeboid movement to the orchestrated movement of collective cell migration. One key t Read More