The intestinal epithelium forms a stable barrier protecting underlying tissues from pathogens in the gut lumen. This is achieved by specialized integral membrane structures such as tight and adherens junctions that connect neighboring cells and provide stabilizing links to the cytoskeleton. Junctions are constantly remodeled to respond to extracellular stimuli. Assembly and disassembly of junct...

The over-expression of urokinase receptor in breast cancer cells results in increased tumor invasion, growth and metastasis. As LY-6K belongs to the Ly6/uPAR superfamily, we assessed the association of LY-6K with metastasis in breast cancer cell lines and how the LY-6K gene mediates cancer cell metastasis. The migration ability of cells in which expression of LY-6K gene is up- or down-regulated...

Neurotrophins regulate development, maintenance, and function of vertebrate nervous systems. Neurotrophins activate two different classes of receptors, the Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases and p75NTR, a member of the TNF receptor superfamily. Through these, neurotrophins activate many signaling pathways, including those mediated by ras and members of the cdc-42/ras/rho G protein families...

We report the cloning of a low-molecular-weight GTP-binding protein that appears to be the first member of a new class of G proteins. This G protein was cloned from the HT4 neural cell line and has the closest homology to the rab, sec4, and ypt1 members of the low-molecular-weight (LMW) G-protein family. The amino acid sequence identity is only 30% with these other LMW G proteins, but in the fo...

Signal transduction components, including the Ras superfamily of low molecular weight GTP-binding proteins and the gamma subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, are reversibly carboxyl methylated at C-terminal prenylcysteine residues. We have previously shown that the prenylcysteine analog N-acetyl-S-trans,trans-farnesyl-L-cysteine (AFC) inhibits carboxyl methylation of these proteins in human p...

■ Abstract Neurotrophins regulate development, maintenance, and function of vertebrate nervous systems. Neurotrophins activate two different classes of receptors, the Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases and p75NTR, a member of the TNF receptor superfamily. Through these, neurotrophins activate many signaling pathways, including those mediated by ras and members of the cdc-42/ras/rho G prote...

Auxin functions as a key morphogen in regulating plant growth and development. Studies on auxin-regulated gene expression and on the mechanism of polar auxin transport and its asymmetric distribution within tissues have provided the basis for realizing the molecular mechanisms underlying auxin function. In eukaryotes, members of the Ras and Rho subfamilies of the Ras superfamily of small GTPase...

Prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2) belongs to an evolutionarily conserved superfamily of 2-oxoglutarate and Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenases that mediates homeostatic responses to oxygen deprivation by mediating hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) hydroxylation and degradation. Although oxidative stress contributes to the inactivation of PHD2, the precise molecular mechanism of PHD2 inact...

The three closely related Ras proteins, Kras, Hras and Nras constitute the founding members of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases, which serve as molecular switches that relay extracellular signals to a variety of fundamental cellular processes, including proliferation, survival and differentiation. 1,2 These proteins have been of particular interest to cancer biologists due to the high frequ...