Co-localization of Rho-C with p190 and PDZ in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells

SHWETHA MADDUR; ELIZABETH KENNEDY; DEVIN ROSENTHAL; SOFIA D MERAJVER; ALEJANDRA C VENTURA

Simposio; UROP Spring Research Symposium; 2010

RhoC is a small GTPase protein whose role in the cell is regulating cell shape, attachment, and motility. Over expression of Rho-C is related to tumor proliferation in Inflammatory Breast Cancer. RhoC switches between its active and inactive forms by interaction with acitvating guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) such as PDZ and deactivating GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) such as P190. This cycle of activation-deactivation is regulated by lysophophatidic acid (LPA). It is predicted that interaction between the three proteins, which are all located in the cytosol, would necessitate translocation of RhoC, GEF, and GAP to the plasma membrane. The GAP is hypothesized to reach the plasma membrane after a certain lag time in order to allow increased activity of the RhoC initially, followed by the deactivation by GAP.