Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins

Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins

Heterotrimeric G proteins are guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. As the name suggests, heterotrimeric G proteins are composed of three subunits: alpha, beta, and gamma. They remain GDP-bound or GTP-bound inside the cells and switch between inactive/active states. The Gα subunit possesses the nucleotide-binding pocket that binds guanine nucleotides and switches between GDP or GTP-bound states. In contrast, the Gꞵ and Gγ subunits are always bound together with high affinity and are together...

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:

Positive Regulator Molecules

Positive Regulator Molecules

Mitotic cell division results in daughter cells that exactly resemble the parent cell. However, errors in the DNA replication or distribution of genetic material may lead to genetic mutations that may be passed down to every new cell formed from the resulting abnormal cell. Propagation of such mutant cells is restricted through checkpoint mechanisms present at different stages of the cell cycle. These checkpoints involve regulator molecules that either promote or demote cell cycle events.

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...

Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Safety and immunogenicity of a reduced, homologous booster dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine: a single blind, randomized, non-inferiority follow-up trial.

Vaccine·2026

Same author

Identification of the cellular factor KLF16 as a novel epigenetic repressor of HIV-1 transcription.

Research square·2026

Same author

Better diagnostics could have limited this Ebola outbreak.

Nature·2026

Same author

Dengue antibody dynamics resolved at epitope level using a dengue 1 human infection model.

International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases·2026

Same author

Seven years of stool banking: Clinical and microbiological insights from the Ghent Stool Bank.

International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases·2026

Same author

High-throughput multiplex immunoassay for the detection of mpox and MVA-BN vaccination up to 2 years after exposure in Belgium: a retrospective diagnostic accuracy study.

The Lancet. Microbe·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Two Peeling Methods for the Isolation of Photoreceptor Cell Compartments in the Mouse Retina for Protein Analysis

Two Peeling Methods for the Isolation of Photoreceptor Cell Compartments in the Mouse Retina for Protein Analysis

Published on: December 7, 2021

Rho GTPase Cdc42 is essential for human T-cell development.

Kaatje Smits¹, Veronica Iannucci, Veronique Stove

¹Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

|March 9, 2010

Summary

Cdc42 is essential for human T-cell development, regulating proliferation and apoptosis. Rac1 is crucial for thymocyte migration, while Cdc42

More Related Videos

Real-time Live Imaging of T-cell Signaling Complex Formation

Real-time Live Imaging of T-cell Signaling Complex Formation

Published on: June 23, 2013

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Published on: March 20, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Two Peeling Methods for the Isolation of Photoreceptor Cell Compartments in the Mouse Retina for Protein Analysis

Two Peeling Methods for the Isolation of Photoreceptor Cell Compartments in the Mouse Retina for Protein Analysis

Published on: December 7, 2021

Real-time Live Imaging of T-cell Signaling Complex Formation

Real-time Live Imaging of T-cell Signaling Complex Formation

Published on: June 23, 2013

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Published on: March 20, 2021

Area of Science:

Immunology
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Rho GTPases regulate cellular functions, including actin cytoskeleton dynamics.
While their role in mouse T-cell development is known, their function in human T-cell development remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the expression and activation of Rho GTPases during human T-cell development.
To elucidate the specific roles of Rho GTPases in human thymopoiesis, including migration, proliferation, and apoptosis.

Main Methods:

Examined Rho GTPase expression and activation in human thymocytes.
Utilized fetal thymus organ cultures with constitutively active and dominant-negative Rho GTPase mutants.
Employed Rho GTPase-specific inhibitors to study thymocyte migration.

Main Results:

Rho GTPase expression is differentially regulated during human T-cell development.
Dominant-negative Cdc42 severely impaired T-cell development, increasing apoptosis and reducing proliferation.
Rac1 was essential for thymocyte migration towards SDF-1α, while Cdc42's role was broader.

Conclusions:

Cdc42 plays an essential role in human T-cell development, primarily by regulating apoptosis and proliferation.
Disturbed migration is not the main cause of impaired thymopoiesis due to dominant-negative Cdc42.
This study provides the first insights into Rho GTPase function in human thymopoiesis.