Machineries regulating the activity of the small GTPase Arf6 in cancer cells are potential targets for developing innovative anti-cancer drugs

  • Adv Biol Regul. 2017 Jan;63:115-121. doi: 10.1016/j.jbior.2016.10.004.
Yohei Yamauchi  1 ,  Yuki Miura  1 ,  Yasunori Kanaho  2
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan.
  • 2. Department of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 27776975 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2016.10.004
Abstract

The Small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) functions as the molecular switch in cellular signaling pathways by cycling between GDP-bound inactive and GTP-bound active form, which is precisely regulated by two regulators, guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). Numerous studies have shown that these machineries play critical roles in tumor angiogenesis/growth and Cancer cell invasion/metastasis through regulating the cycling of Arf6. Here, we summarize accumulating knowledge for involvement of Arf6 GEFs/GAPs and small molecule inhibitors of Arf6 signaling/cycling in Cancer progression, and discuss possible strategies for developing innovative anti-cancer drugs targeting Arf6 signaling/cycling.

Keywords
Anti-cancer drugs; Arf6; GAP; GEF; Invasion; Metastasis; Tumor angiogenesis; Tumor growth.
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