Editor: Guangpu Li

Rab GTPases and Membrane Trafficking

eBook: US $79 Special Offer (PDF + Printed Copy): US $171
Printed Copy: US $131
Library License: US $316
ISBN: 978-1-60805-391-9 (Print)
ISBN: 978-1-60805-365-0 (Online)
Year of Publication: 2012
DOI: 10.2174/97816080536501120101

Introduction

Ypt/Rab GTPases form the largest branch of the Ras-related small GTPase superfamily and regulate intracellular membrane trafficking in all eukaryotes. Since their discovery over two decades ago, a wealth of information has accumulated about the roles that Ypt/Rab proteins play in vesicular transport steps, including vesicle budding, movement, and fusion. In recent years, Ypt/Rab GTPases and membrane trafficking have been discovered to play an important role in other cellular processes, such as signal transduction, cell growth and differentiation. Additionally, Rab GTPases have been implicated in various human diseases, ranging from diabetes to cancer. This e-book provides a timely update on the rapidly developing field and discusses all functional aspects of Ypt/Rab GTPases. The 12 chapters cover well-characterized Ypts/Rabs involved in both exocytic and endocytic pathways as well as newly identified and uncharacterized Rab GTPases. A comprehensive picture about how each Ypt/Rab controls multiple vesicular trafficking steps via interactions with multiple effectors is conveyed to the reader’s mind.

This e-book is the first ever volume focused on the Ypt/Rab GTPases and should provide a useful resource for researchers, students and teachers interested in the field.

Indexed in: BIOSIS Previews, Chemical Abstracts, Scopus, EBSCO.

Preface

Ypt/Rab GTPases, which form the largest branch of the Ras-related small GTPase superfamily, regulate intracellular membrane trafficking in all eukaryotes. Like other GTPases, Ypt/Rab proteins act as molecular switches that alternate between the GTP-bound active and the GDP-bound inactive conformations. In their active form Ypt/Rabs interact with effectors, which in turn promote specialized functions in intracellular trafficking through the exocytic and endocytic pathways. Since their discovery over two decades ago, a wealth of knowledge has accumulated about the roles that Ypt/Rab proteins play in vesicular transport steps including vesicle budding, movement, and fusion, but a united mechanism remains elusive and the subject remains a very active area of research. In recent years, Ypt/Rabs and trafficking have emerged as important players in other cellular processes, such as signal transduction, cell growth and differentiation. Importantly, Rabs have been implicated in various human diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer, justifying a timely eBook on the subject.

This eBook covers well-characterized Ypt/Rabs involved in both exocytic and endocytic pathways as well as newly identified and uncharacterized Rabs. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the general principles of the Ypt/Rab GTPase cycle and the vesicular trafficking steps regulated by them. Chapters 2-6 describe the regulation and functions of exocytic Rabs, including Ypt1-Rab1, Ypt31/Ypt32-Rab11, Rab6, Sec4, Rab3, and Rab27. In yeast, Ypt1 and Sec4, the founding members of the Ypt/Rab family, control the first and final steps of the exocytic pathway, respectively. Ypt31/Ypt32-Rab11 and Ypt6-Rab6 regulate traffic through the Golgi complex. On the other hand, Rab3 and Rab27 are found only in higher eukaryotes, are specifically expressed in secretory cells and play a role in regulated secretion. Chapters 7-11 describe endocytic and recycling Rabs, including Rab5, Rab21, Rab22, Rab4, Rab8, Rab11, Rab7, and Rab9. Members of the Rab5 sub-family, Rab5, Rab21, and Rab22 regulate early endosomal sorting, fusion and movement, whereas Rab4, Rab8 and Rab11 regulate recycling pathways. Rab7 and Rab9 regulate transport from late endosomes to lysosomes and the Golgi, respectively. The final chapter, Chapter 12, describes newly identified and uncharacterized Rabs, which represent a great majority of the 7,500 Rabs identified in 250 sequenced genomes. Rabs with unknown function have usually emerged late in evolution and are expressed in specific tissues at low levels.

By covering Ypt/Rab GTPases in one eBook, a comprehensive picture emerges in which each Ypt/Rab controls multiple vesicular trafficking steps via interactions with multiple effectors. This eBook should provide a useful resource for researchers, teachers and students interested in the field.

Guangpu Li
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
USA

Nava Segev
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
The University of Illinois at Chicago
USA

RELATED BOOKS

.Oxygen: High Enzymatic Reactivity of Reactive Oxygen Species.
.Enzymes Involved in Glycolysis, Fatty Acid and Amino Acid Biosynthesis: Active Site Mechanism and Inhibition.
.Methods to Determine Enzymatic Activity.