There is a kinetic limitation to Rho function at the first intragenic terminator in the lacZ gene (tiZ1) which can be overcome by NusG: Rho can terminate transcription with slowly moving, but not rapidly moving, RNA polymerase unless NusG is also present. Here we report further studies with two other Rho-dependent terminators that are not kinetically limited (tiZ2 and lambda tR1) which show tha...

The rapid turnover of actin filaments and the tertiary meshwork formation are regulated by a variety of actin-binding proteins. Protein phosphorylation of cofilin, an actin-binding protein that depolymerizes actin filaments, suppresses its function. Thus, cofilin is a terminal effector of signaling cascades that evokes actin cytoskeletal rearrangement. When wild-type LIMK2 and kinase-dead LIMK2...

For a finite field $mathbb{F}_q$, the bivariate skew polynomial ring $mathbb{F}_q[x,y;rho,theta]$ has been used to study codes cite{XH}. In this paper, we give some characterizations of the ring $R[x,y;rho,theta]$, where $R$ is a commutative ring. We investigate 2-D skew $(lambda_1,lambda_2)$-constacyclic codes in the ring $R[x,y;rho,theta]/langle x^l-lambda_1,y^s-lambda_2rangle_{mathit{l}}.$ A...

The small GTPases Rho, Rac and Cdc42 (cell-division cycle 42) function as molecular switches to modulate the actin cytoskeleton. They achieve this by modulating the activity of downstream cellular targets. One group of Rho GTPase effectors, WAVE (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein verprolin homologous)-1, WAVE-2 and WAVE-3, function as scaffolds for actin-based signalling complexes. The present r...

Mutations in rhodopsin (RHO) are a common cause of retinal dystrophy and can be transmitted by dominant or recessive inheritance. Clinical symptoms caused by dominant and recessive mutations in patients and animal models are very similar but the molecular mechanisms leading to retinal degeneration may differ. We characterized three murine models of retina degeneration caused by either Rho loss ...

Rho GTPases are critical for platelet function. Although the roles of RhoA, Rac and Cdc42 are characterized, platelets express other Rho GTPases, whose activities are less well understood. This review summarizes our understanding of the roles of platelet Rho GTPases and focuses particularly on the functions of Rif and RhoG. In human platelets, Rif interacts with cytoskeleton regulators includin...

Rho-dependent transcription terminators participate in sophisticated genetic regulatory mechanisms, in both bacteria and phages; they occur in regulatory regions preceding the coding sequences of genes and within coding sequences, as well as at the end of transcriptional units, to prevent readthrough transcription. Most Rho-dependent terminators have been found in enteric bacteria, but they als...

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) 1 and TSC2 are thought to be involved in protein translational regulation and cell growth, and loss of their function is a cause of TSC and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). However, TSC1 also activates Rho and regulates cell adhesion. We found that TSC2 modulates actin dynamics and cell adhesion and the TSC1-binding domain (TSC2-HBD) is essential for this functio...

Investigations from basic biology suggest that activation of the Rho/Rho kinase pathway reduces the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) and thereby promotes atherosclerosis and its clinical complications. Yet, little information is available about the relationship of the Rho/Rho kinase pathway to NO bioavailability in humans with atherosclerosis. Accordingly, we determined whether inhibition o...

Rho is a ring-shaped, ATP-dependent RNA helicase/translocase that dissociates transcriptional complexes in bacteria. How RNA recognition is coupled to ATP hydrolysis and translocation in Rho is unclear. Here, we develop and use a new combinatorial approach, called time-resolved Nucleotide Analog Interference Probing (trNAIP), to unmask RNA molecular determinants of catalytic Rho function. We id...