Effects of Rho proteins on the cytoskeleton activity and the growth regulation in tumor cells

The researches on Rho family proteins have been progressing very fast recently. Rho proteins mainly regulate the reorganization of actin cytoskeleton, thus controlling the cell morphologic changes and the motility. There is a close relationship between Rho proteins and tumors; under the function of regulators and effectors, the activation of Rho proteins can enhance cell motility, induce gene expression in cell cycle progression, and promote the degradation and re-establishment of extracellular matrix. Accordingly, Rho proteins play a crucial role in regulating tumor cells' proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis and other biological behaviors. Further researches on Rho proteins can help to clarify the mechanism involved in these effects, thus providing a potential evidence in anti-tumor therapy.