CDC42
Description
The CDC42 (cell division cycle 42) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 1.
CDC42, also known as Cell division control protein 42 homolog, is a protein that is encoded by the CDC42 gene in humans. It plays a crucial role in regulating the cell cycle and is involved in various cellular processes, including cell morphology, migration, endocytosis, and cell cycle progression. CDC42 is a small GTPase belonging to the Rho family and is central to dynamic actin cytoskeletal assembly and rearrangement, which are essential for cell-cell adhesion and migration. In its active state, CDC42 activates p21-activated kinases PAK1 and PAK2, which in turn initiate actin reorganization and regulate cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. CDC42 exists as a homodimer with A and B chains and consists of 191 amino acids with a theoretical weight of 21.33 kDa. It contains a P-loop containing nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase and a small GTP-binding protein domain. CDC42 cycles between an active GTP-bound state and an inactive GDP-bound state.
CDC42 is a small GTPase that cycles between an active GTP-bound and an inactive GDP-bound state. In its active state, it binds to various effector proteins to regulate cellular responses. CDC42 is involved in epithelial cell polarization processes and regulates the bipolar attachment of spindle microtubules to kinetochores before chromosome congression in metaphase. It also plays a role in cell migration, the extension and maintenance of filopodia formation in neurons, and the formation of spines in Purkinje cells and hippocampal neurons. In podocytes, CDC42 facilitates filopodia and podosomes formation upon activation by DOCK11. Upon activation by CaMKII, CDC42 modulates dendritic spine structural plasticity by relaying CaMKII transient activation to synapse-specific, long-term signaling. CDC42 also plays a role in phagocytosis through the organization of the F-actin cytoskeleton associated with forming phagocytic cups.
CDC42 is also known as CDC42Hs, G25K, TKS.
Associated Diseases
- Takenouchi-Kosaki syndrome
- Macrothrombocytopenia-lymphedema-developmental delay-facial dysmorphism-camptodactyly syndrome
