Rho GTPases and Breast Cancer

Abstract

The Rho GTPases is a subfamily of molecular switches that cycle between an inactive GDP-bound state and an active GTP-bound state within the Ras superfamily. In the past, members of the Rho subfamily were mainly thought to be involved in the regulation of cytoskeletal organization in response to extracellular growth factors. However, a number of studies over the past few years have revealed that the Rho GTPases play crucial roles in a wide spectrum of cellular functions related to cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix, cell morphology, cell cycle progression, malignant transformation, invasion and metastasis. Alterations of the expression levels to Rho GTPases have been detected in many types of human tumors and, in some cases, up-regulation and/or overexpression of Rho protein correlates with poor prognosis. This article reviews the evidence of aberrant Rho signaling and the cellular effects elicited by Rho GTPases signaling in human breast tumors.