The regulation of Rho GTPase activities and expression is critical in the development and function of the kidney. Rho GTPase activities and cytosol-membrane cycling are regulated by Rho GDP Dissociation Inhibitor (RhoGDI), and RhoGDI knockout mice develop defects in kidney structure and function that lead to death due to renal failure. It is therefore important to understand the changes in RhoG...

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) response early after a tetralogy of Fallot's repair remains unclear. BNP was measured pre- and post-operatively (immediately, day 1) in 18 children undergoing corrective repair with concurrent echocardiography (pre-, post-op day 1) to assess right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction, restrictive physiology, wall motion and pulmonary regurgitation (PR). In the ...

Osteoclasts are large, multinucleated cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage that generate specialized substrate adhesion complexes to facilitate their function as bone-degrading cells. The patterning and function of these actin-based complexes, podosomes and sealing zones, are regulated by the small GTPase Rho. Myosin IXB (Myo9b) is a unique actin-based motor protein that contains a RhoGAP d...

Abstract Ethanol has a vast consumption around the world. Many researches confirmed some adverse effect of this component on human health. In addition, recent studies showed significant alteration in both cellular population, and protein profile of human foreskin fibroblast cell line (HFFF2) in the specific dosage of ethanol. Here, the role and interaction of some proteins (characterized by sig...

Rho kinase signaling regulates inflammatory cell migration and chemokine production. We therefore investigated the mechanisms of Rho-kinase-dependent inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal failure. C57/BL6 mice received intraperitoneal LPS with or without daily treatment with specific Rho kinase inhibitors (Y-27632 or HA-1077; 5 mg/kg). Rho kinase inhibitors were applied in a pr...

PURPOSE The goal of this study was to investigate the role of the small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase), Rho, in the corneal epithelial response to extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. The avian corneal epithelial model was used to establish that Rho is required for actin reorganization and tyrosine phosphorylation of integrin-mediated signal pathway proteins. METHODS Whole embryonic corne...

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) is a key mediator of cell communication during animal development and homeostasis. In Drosophila, the signaling event is commonly regulated by the polytopic membrane protein Rhomboid (RHO), which mediates the proteolytic activation of EGFr ligands, allowing the secretion of the active signal. Until very recently, the biochemical function of RHO had remain...

Regulation of the platelet actin cytoskeleton by the Rho family of small GTPases is essential for the proper maintenance of hemostasis. However, little is known about how intracellular platelet activation from Rho GTPase family members, including Rac, Cdc42, and Rho, translate into changes in platelet actin structures. To better understand how Rho family GTPases coordinate platelet activation, ...

Rho signaling regulates a variety of biological processes, but whether it is implicated in aging remains an open question. Here we show that a guanine nucleotide exchange factor of the Dbl family, OSG-1, confers functional aging by dysregulating Rho GTPases activities in C. elegans. Thus, gene reporter analysis revealed widespread OSG-1 expression in muscle and neurons. Loss of OSG-1 gene funct...

Endothelial hyperpermeability is regulated by a myosin light chain-2 (MLC2) phosphorylation-dependent contractile mechanism. Thrombin is a potent inducer of hyperpermeability of cultured monolayers of endothelial cells (ECs) via Rho kinase-mediated MLC2-phosphorylation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of thrombin on in situ endothelial morphology and barrier integrit...