Overview:

RhoC is member of the Rho family of small GTPases which promote reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton during cell morphogenesis and motility and regulate cell shape, attachment and motility. Active RhoC signals to its downstream effector ROCK which phosphorylates and activates LIM kinase that in turn phosphorylates cofilin inhibiting its actin-depolymerizing activity (1). Overexpression of RhoC is associated with tumor cell proliferation and metastasis while dominant-negative RhoC inhibits metastasis (2). Analysis of the phenotype of cells expressing dominant-negative RhoC indicates that RhoC is important in tumor cell invasion.

Gene Aliases:

ARH9; ARHC; H9; MGC1448; MGC61427; RHOH9

Genbank Number:

NM_175744

References:

1. Maekawa, M. et al: Signaling from Rho to the actin cytoskeleton through protein kinases ROCK and LIM-kinase. Science 285: 895-898, 1999.

2. Clark, E. A. et al: Genomic analysis of metastasis reveals an essential role for RhoC. Nature 406: 532-535, 2000.