the small gtpase rhoa localizes to the nucleus and is activated by net1 and dna damage signals小gtpase rhoa定位核和由net1和dna损伤信号激活.pdfVIP

The Small GTPase RhoA Localizes to the Nucleus and Is Activated by Net1 and DNA Damage Signals Adi D. Dubash1.¤a, Christophe Guilluy 1., Melissa C. Srougi 1,2, Etienne Boulter 1¤b, Keith Burridge 1,2, ´ 1* Rafael Garcıa-Mata 1 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America, 2 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America Abstract Background: Rho GTPases control many cellular processes, including cell survival, gene expression and migration. Rho proteins reside mainly in the cytosol and are targeted to the plasma membrane (PM) upon specific activation by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Accordingly, most GEFs are also cytosolic or associated with the PM. However, Net1, a RhoA-specific GEF predominantly localizes to the cell nucleus at steady-state. Nuclear localization for Net1 has been seen as a mechanism for sequestering the GEF away from RhoA, effectively rendering the protein inactive. However, considering the prominence of nuclear Net1 and the fact that a biological stimulus that promotes Net1 translocation out the nucleus to the cytosol has yet to be discovered, we hypothesized that Net1 might have a previously unidentified function in the nucleus of cells. Principal Findings: Using an affinity precipitation method to pulldown the active form of Rho GEFs from different cellular fractions, we show here that nuclear Net1 does in fact exist in an active form, contrary to previous expectations. We further demonstrate that a fraction of RhoA resides in the nucleus, and can also be found in a GTP-bound active form and that Net1 plays a role in the activation of nuclear RhoA. In addition, we show that ioni